A New Generation
by Mr History 94
Summary: This is a fan-based story taking place many years after the dangerous war. Join Naruto's daughter as she learns the true way of the Ninjas. Many different couples, so remember (no flaming, please!). NasruSaku, SasuIno, ShikaTema, KibHina, LeeTen and the list goes on, I guess.
1. Introduction

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.**

**Chapter 1: Introduction of the Next Generation**

_**Uzumaki family (Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno)**_

_After the Fourth Shinobi World War, the ninja world was all safe thanks to the sacrifices made by the brave shinobis. Many shinobis had perished in the war, but fortunately Madara was finally defeated. The ninja way would no longer be driven by conflict and hate. Naruto, one of the greatest inheritors of the Will of Fire, became among the greatest war heroes of the Leaf Village. When returning to the Leaf, Naruto rose up to become an aspiring jounin. During the war, he and his teammate Sakura Haruno had grown romantically attracted to another. Like Naruto, Sakura had also become famous throughout the ninja world. She was amongst the well-known konuichis. When settling down, Sakura confessed her true feelings for Naruto. The young hero happily returned her feelings and they started dating with each other. The couple eventually married and became parents of two children: their daughter Nashiko and their son Jiro. Naruto is working as a jounin and a close associate of Lady Tsunade. Sakura is now working in the hospital as part of the medical team. While Tsunade is still the Hokage, there are rumours of the Slug Queen's retirement coming up. Among the most important candidates for the mantle of Hokage includes Naruto, who still wants to claim the title for acknowledge. _

_**Nashiko Uzumaki**_

_**Age: 12**_

_**Status: Genin**_

_Nashiko is the eldest child of Naruto and Sakura. She is known for her tomboyish behaviour, but can also be described as "daddy's little girl". She has inherited much of her father's quirky personality, although she possesses the same angry outbursts from her mother as well. As the daughter of a war hero, Nashiko wants to become a proud ninja of the Leaf, just like her father. But her mischievous behaviour puts her at odds with her parents, who don't want her to end up being a punk. Despite this, Nashiko can also be brave, confident and cheerful, much like her father. She is also determined to surpass her parents as ninjas._

_**Jiro Uzumaki**_

_**Age: 8**_

_**Status: Unknown at the moment**_

_Jiro is the only son of Naruto and Sakura and Nashiko's younger brother. Unlike her sister, Jiro is much more timid and shyly, similar to his mother at his age. He is constantily being picked on because of his psychical weakness. Despite this, Jiro is a kind-hearted and gentle boy, who is without a doubt loyal to his friends and family. _

_**Uchihia family (Sasuke Uchihia and Ino Yamanaka)**_

_Sasuke, who was previously focused on revenge against the Leaf Village, managed to reform and sought to honour his big brother's sacrifice by protecting the village. He and Naruto together managed to put an end to Madara's twisted plans, but it paid a heavy price. Sasuke was after the war taken into custody, but he was soon pardoned for all his previous crimes due to his efforts in the war. He wanted only to protect the village that formerly exterminated his clan. While some of his few friends saw up to him as a war hero, most shinobis viewed the last Uchihia with open disgust and hostility. As a result, Sasuke decided to stick himself to the shadows by joining the ANBU Black Ops. He spent many days out in the field and cooperated with members of the interrogation squad. During these missions, Sasuke became partnered up with Ino, who was at that time a member of the interrogation squad. Although he had dismissed her in the past as an annoying fangirl, the new and matured Ino seemed to impress the young Uchihia. Ino still had strong feelings for Sasuke and during a mission, they both secretly made love in a cavern. Eventually they got married, although some clansmen from Yamanaka were concerned about their head marrying an outsider, especially an Uchihia. But Sasuke didn't care that he married a non-Uchihia. He only wanted to find someone to connect to. Their union produced twin boys: Itachi and Shunsuke. While Sasuke still works in the shadows of the Leaf, Ino is supporting their family by continuing the Yamanaka Flower shop. _

_**Itachi Uchihia**_

_**Age: 12**_

_**Status: Genin**_

_Itachi is the older twin. He was named after his father's brother, who gave everything away in order to protect the Leaf Village. As the son of former top students at the Ninja Academy, Itachi is known for his smart and calculating personality. But he also possesses the same serious attitude belonging to his father. Nashiko is rumoured to have a crush on Itachi, although he doesn't notice it himself. In fact, Itachi doesn't care about dating, not yet. He is very close to his mother, but the relationship between Itachi and his father is somewhat strained. In addition to mastering the Mind Transfer justu, Itachi is also a master of fire style jutsus._

_**Shunsuke Uchihia**_

_**Age: 12**_

_**Rank: Genin**_

_Shunsuke is the younger twin brother of Itachi. He is a completely different person than his brother. Compared to him, he struggles a lot during the Ninja Academy. He is also described as being more kind-hearted and gentle compared to Itachi. Shunsuke is very close to his mother, but he also tends to show some affection for his father as well. Shunsuke possesses somehow a similar personality to both his father's childhood and the younger Obito Uchiha. He is good at fire justus, much like his brother. He also tends to be good at taijutsu._

_**Nara family (Shikamaru Nara and Temari)**_

_After the Fourth Shinobi World War, Shikamaru became an important advisor to the Hokage. As such, he was often travelling to various hidden villages in order to represent the Leaf. During these diplomatic missions, he became romantically involved with Temari, a well-known konuichi from the Sand Village, as well as the Kazekage's sister. Having fought each other and cooperated with each other from before, the diplomatic duo eventually fell in love with each other. Their wedding was greatly appreciated from both the Leaf and the Sand, who saw it as a symbol of their relationship. With permission from Gaara himself, Temari now lives in the Leaf Village along with her husband. Together, they have one son: Shikio. Shikamaru is still working as an advisor to the Hokage while Temari is working as a diplomat while travelling back and forth from the Leaf. _

_**Shikio Nara**_

_**Age: 12**_

_**Rank: Genin**_

_When you first meet Shikio, you might consider him to be one hell of a lazy-ass. However, that's not true. While he has inherited his father's laid-back personality, he has also inherited Shikamaru's intelligence. But he is also described by his friends as a punk, who takes whatever he likes. Furthermore, as a nephew of the Kazekage Gaara, Shikio has also a great knowledge of leadership and diplomacy. This makes him a somewhat perfect leader for a mission. Shikio is good friends with both Itachi and the Akimichi heiress: Chieka Akimichi. Together they make up the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chou trio. Shikio is not only famous for his Shadow Possession jutsu from his clan. He is also a master at wind style jutsus, a trait he has inherited from his mother._

_**Inuzuka family (Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga)**_

_Hinata was always known to harbour a crush on Naruto. But Naruto had already strong feelings for Sakura and when they started dating, Hinata fell into a deep depression. Furthermore, the death of his cousin Neji left a great sorrow inside of her as well. But after the war, Kiba began visiting Hinata quite often. He also managed to lift the depression inside of her. When Kiba eventually confessed his true feelings for Hinata, she became surprised. This resulted in a marriage between the Hyuuga heiress and the young clansman from Inuzuka. Although it was very strange for a Hyuuga to marry an outsider, Hinata defied the strict wedding laws. She claimed that everyone who lived in the Leaf was just as vital as the Hyuugas. The marriage between her and Kiba resulten in them being parents to twins Minami (a girl) and Takeshi (a boy). Although Kiba once claimed that his dream was to become Hokage, most people tend to dismiss him as an aggressive and immature populist._

_**Manami Inuzuka**_

_**Age: 12**_

_**Rank: Genin**_

_Manami is the older of the Inuzuka twins. Despite the fact that she is a girl, Manami is quite tomboyish. She has inherited much of her father's personality and often tends to be short-tempered when interacting with people. Despite this, she can be a very reliable friend. She is a master at Hyuuga style taijutsu. Having achieved the Byakugan, Manami won't go down so easily without a fight. She is assisted by her dog, Riko. There are rumours that she has feelings for Itachi, Sasuke's son._

_**Takeshi Inuzuka**_

_**Age: 12**_

_**Rank: Genin**_

_Takeshi is much like his older twin sister, very stubborn and impatient. However, he tends to the more calculating of the twins, a trait commonly seen among Hyuugas. Takeshi holds his deceased uncle in high regard and wants to become a great Hyuuga clansman like him. But he also wants to prove both the Hyuugas and the Inuzukas that a half-breed can achieve something great. In addition to have obtained the Byakugan, Takeshi is assisted by his dog partner, Arata. _

_**Other original characters worth mentioning:**_

_**Rock Guy (son of Rock Lee and Tenten)**_

_He is just like his father. Was named after Lee's late sensei, Might Guy. Guy views his father and his late sensei as his role models and seeks to become a master at taijustu and weapons._

_**Cheika Akimichi (daughter of Chouji) **_

_While she might be an obese girl, Cheika is always cheerful and willing to aid her friends if they are in trouble. She is a childhood friend of Shikio. Cheiko is also rumoured to be capable of earth style jutus._

_**Saburou Aburame (son of Shino)**_

_He is Shino's son, who acts quite calm and analytic like his father. As such he tends to enjoy playing with bugs. Rumours has that he likes to take bugs home for himself. _

_**Ochinko (son of Sai)**_

_He doesn't tend to communicate so much with most people. His classmates often describe him as a pale-skinned doll, while others claim he just came out of the closet. However Ochinko is known for his love of art, a trait he has inherited from his own father._

**Author's note: Well this is the next generation of the Leaf Village. Everything is just made up. If some of you disagree on the couples I've made, then I have this to say: will you for Pete's sake stop flaming over something stupid as shipping? Seriously, I have watched many of those shipping wars on different websites and they all seem so immature and stupid. Everything can happen in Fanfiction, you know. This doesn't have to be the true couples, but this is what I have made. I might write a few chapters about this, but I will also focus on Fictiontopia.**


	2. The New Prankster in Town

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The New Prankster in Town**

_In the Village Hidden in the Leaves_

A young girl was hiding along the fence while covering herself. She did this for a specific reason. It was because of fact that she was in trouble with some of the shinobi guardsmen. Why was she in trouble with them? Well apparently, the young girl had pulled a prank which ended up really badly. She had even skipped her class, which she had done a few times because she was bored.

This young girl's name is Nashiko Uzumaki. She is a twelve-year old konuichi with ambitions, silliness and anger issues. She has short pink hair and is wearing a red jumpsuit with blue sandals. Her face is has green eyes and small whiskers at her cheeks.

As the young girl continued to hide among the fence, many adult shinobis passed her, unaware that their target was actually hiding among the fence. Once they were gone, Nashiko pulled off her cover and laughed childishly.

"Those idiots, they didn't realise I was here. I gotta admit tough, that stunt I pulled on that jerk Iruka sure was fun! I mean, the old geezer probably didn't realize that there was a bucket of ice cold water hanging on the door" Nashiko laughed while thinking about her actions.

But suddenly a middle-aged man with ponytails appeared behind Nashiko's back. He was all soaking wet from the stunt he was pulled on earlier. His name was Iruka Umino, the instructor of the Ninja Academy. Despite his age, Iruka never got tired of educating young ninjas. He just loved the job.

"I FINALLY FOUND YOU, LITTLE BRAT!" Iruka shouted angrily, making Nashiko jump in fear. She landed on her behind and watched his teacher irritably.

"What's the big idea of scaring me like that, you old geezer!" she said while Iruka sighed at her in annoyance.

"The question would be: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA OF GIVING ME ICE COLD WATER ALL OVER ME!?" he shouted furiously while staring at the troublemaking student. Nashiko merely laughed at the old man.

"Come on, Iruka-sensei! It's April Fool's Day! I needed to at least prank someone! I couldn't do that to mom, dad or Jiro" the pink-haired girl said while laughing at her teacher. Iruka became more outraged.

"I don't give a rat's behind about April Fool's Day! You are supposed to be in class! Now come with me!" Iruka said angrily and grabbed Nashiko's hand. She rolled her eyes.

"But sensei, class sucks! All the other students act so selfish and boring. Besides, I'm tired of listening to you and your bullcrap lessons!" the young girl groaned, causing Iruka to watch her with annoyance. But the old man eventually forced a smile on his face.

"This spoiled brat sure acts like her father! I'm getting to old for this. But still, I'm proud that I'm her instructor. My own boy is part of Naruto's team, so there's no way I could turn back on this little troll. I only hope she will learn what it means to be a kunoichi though" Iruka thought while dragging Nashiko with her. She was still groaning and rebellious as usual.

* * *

_Ninja Academy, Nashiko's classroom_

Back in the classroom, Iruka had cruelly put Nashiko on the class dummy's chair. She was now wearing a pointed hat which read: dummy. The young pink-haired girl sat on the chair while muttering angrily. She could also notice some of her fellow students speak ill of her. Most of them were whispering. But Nashiko didn't necessarily care. After class, she would plan a prank on those who insulted her, especially when it was about her short hair or her short-tempered personality. Nobody would get away easily.

"All right, students! Now that I've finally captured this lousy little troll here, we can still continue the lesson! And because of the chase scene, you will all stay at school a little longer! Nobody is leaving class until the lesson is over! Is that clear!?" Iruka declared, causing all students to groan in irritation. Most of them gave Nashiko angry glares. But to their surprises, the konuichi was merely grinning with satisfaction. Apparently, she approved of this while her classmates did not.

"Oh man! Why must we be stuck in class a little longer!? I wanna hit the steak house!" a chubby girl with light brown hair called Cheika Akimichi groaned childishly. She was sitting on the lowest row in the classroom. Iruka approached her with an angry expression on his face.

"Did I say something to you, fat princess!?" he asked insultingly and threateningly at the same time. Although Cheika would usually be pissed off when someone called her fat, she kept her cool when around adults, unless her father was with her. He would always barge against any who insulted a proud member of the Akimichi clan, especially his daughter.

"No…sensei" Cheika said uncomfortable, thus satisfying the old man. He then returned to the blackboard and observed the students.

"Okay class! Let's begin this lesson by starting with the different type of ninja jutsus that we use. As you all may know, there exists three types of jutsus. I'm sure your parents must have explained to you about this! Now what are the names of these 3 main jutsus? Can someone name these three names?" Iruka asked the class as he was looking for any raised hands. Luckily he saw one hand coming from a girl with spiky blue and black hair.

"Yes, Manami?" he asked the young girl who merely smirked at his question.

"Heh, it's easy! You call them fagjustu, shitjutsu and pissjustu!" she answered causing some of her classmates (Nashiko included) to laugh their butts off. Iruka stared at the young girl furiously. Manami's twin brother Takeshi (who sat beside her) merely put his head on the desk.

"Why do you always play jackass when you already know the answers?" he mumbled irritated while pushing his face towards the desk. Although the long-haired boy was also very short-tempered like his sister, Takeshi openly disliked Manami's immature behaviour.

"Okay, calm down everyone, calm down! The answers you gave me Manami are incorrect! Now stop fooling around before I replace Nashiko with you as the class dummy!" Iruka threatened while eyeing irritated at the spiky-haired girl, who merely scoffed at him.

"Yeah, whatever" she muttered lowly.

"Now can someone PLEASE just explain what their names are? You are all supposed to know them when you grow up to be fine, strong ninjas!" Iruka wailed, getting tired of this nonsense. Finally a hand was raised and it belonged to a black-haired boy with a pony tail.

"Ah, yes Itachi!" Iruka exclaimed while looking at the young boy who had his arms crossed. He was also sighing in annoyance, probably because of all this ridiculous commotion going on.

"The three types are named: genjutsu, ninjutsu and taijutsu. It's just that simple" Itachi said with an unpleasant and low voice. Despite this, his instructor happily accepted them.

"That's correct! Thank you Itachi! You're one heck of a brainy!" the instructor remarked. Itachi merely closed his eyes at the compliment. He didn't show any positive feedback to Iruka. This made Itachi's twin brother Shunsuke concerned.

"Brother. Don't give Iruka-sensei that attitude. He meant it was a compliment!" Shunsuke said to his brother, who still sat with his arms crossed.

"Whatever. I don't have time for this crap!" Itachi muttered angrily while briefly watching his twin brother. Shunsuke was among the few people that Itachi interacted with normally. He was a type of loner in the class. All the girls were attracted to him, but the young black-haired boy didn't necessarily return any feelings back at them. Shunsuke on the other hand, was known to be much kinder and open than his twin brother. However, Shunsuke lacked the intelligence his brother possessed.

"Okay class, on to the next stage! All you are to perform the Transformation Jutsu in front of me! It will be a test on everything you have learned so far. And of course you will be transforming as me. Now all you step forward and wait for your names to be read out loud!" Iruka said.

Nashiko hated this test. It was actually a part of their homework. However, this time, she would not be bored. The young girl was going to get through with it. All of the students gathered up front in a row waiting to be called. Nashiko took off her hat and stood in the middle of Manami and one of her known friends Ochinko.

"Geez Nashiko, couldn't you have saved the prank for the time after school?" Manami annoyingly asked while putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, it's bad when someone else get stuck for something they're not involved in" Ochinko said with a sort of timid voice. The young girl merely scoffed. She decided to change to subject to this Transformation test.

"Meh, this thing's just child's play, you know. I'm gonna show Iruka-sensei my best talents!" Nashiko said with a smug look on her face.

Suddenly, the pink-haired girl noticed Itachi returning to his place beside his twin brother. He had just passed the test and was standing there bored as usual. Nashiko decided to go and have a little chat with him. She went to their place with a cheerful face.

"Hi Shunsuke, hi Itachi" she said with a friendly tone. Shunsuke happily replied back with a greeting, but Itachi merely stared at her with a not-so pleasant look on his face.

"Hey Nashiko, wassup?" he stated sternly while looking at her. The young girl was out of words. She didn't know what to say.

"Ummm, how are you?" she asked him with a gentle voice. The young boy merely scoffed at her.

"Bah! How are you? I just asked you that question, you numbskull!" he said arrogantly while eyeing her dispassionately.

"Brother! Don't be so mean! She is just confused" Shunsuke lightly scolded his brother.

"It's okay Shunsuke! I find people who act like complete jerks attractive. Right tough guy?" Nashiko said while winking at Itachi. He became disgusted.

"You do that one more time and I will kick you sorry little…" before the young raven-haired boy could finish his threat, Oshinko walked up to them and interrupted their conversation.

"Hey! Stop this senseless bickering! It's disrespectful in class" the teal-haired boy said while standing between Nashiko and the twin brothers. Itachi merely glared at him with a confused look.

"What's your problem? Fag lover! Can't you mind your own business?" Itachi insultingly asked his classmate, causing Nashiko to widen and Shunsuke to be outraged.

"Itachi, mom told us that you should never say such" before Shunsuke could continue, Ochinko interrupted him.

"I won't mind my own business as long as you keep behaving this way" he said simply, his face never turning away. Nashiko became concerned of this growing animosity between them.

"Well in that case, I might as well force you to stay away from us!" Itachi replied with a new arrogant voice. Things got ugly here.

"Tell me this: why can't you behave like a normal person? Is it because you have inherited your father's attitude? It makes sense. Your mother must have been unfortunate to conceive children with the likes of him" Ochinko said with an arrogant voice, just like Itachi's. This insult infuriated the long-haired boy, while his brother felt uncomfortable with Ochinko's remark, though he wasn't angry. Nashiko became really concerned. Itachi took a few steps and came close to his classmate's face. He was really angry.

"Listen VERY carefully now! You can say whatever the hell you like about our father! But if you say something ill about our mother, I will beat your ass until you're bleeding like a pig! Is that clear!?" he angrily threatened Ochinko. He didn't answer, only kept glaring at him. After a few seconds, he spoke up.

"You should apologise to Nashiko. She is just trying to be your friend. If you keep acting like this, then you're in for trouble" the pale-skinned boy was finished with him and went back to his seat, considering that he already had transformed. Nashiko decided to return to her space.

* * *

_Later after school…_

Finally school was finished and students briefly had conversations before they left for their homes. Nashiko was walking home with Ochinko. The young short-haired boy with teal hair wasn't necessarily much of a talker, but Nashiko enjoyed conversing with him nonetheless.

"I appreciate that you stood up for me back there, but don't you think that what you said to him earlier was a little bit to harsh?" she asked him concerned, but Ochinko kept staring into the distance.

"You know such behaviour is unacceptable. But I understand that you want to get close to him" he only replied, causing the girl to blush a little.

"Well, I only wanted to be friends with him. I mean, Shunsuke is definitely a nice person, but perhaps Itachi can also be a nice person too. He just isn't good at showing any affection" Nashiko explained, causing Ochinko to smile.

"Really, then we just have to wait and see" Ochinko remarked.

Suddenly the friends stopped, when they saw what was unexpected: Itachi standing in the middle of the road, waiting for them. He had his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. The raven-haired boy's glare was full of arrogance and calculation. Nashiko and Ochinko became surprised.

"Hey! I was just looking for you two!" he said while eyeing them with that smug look of his.

* * *

**Author's note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Are still going to plan something new, I think. **


	3. Friends or Foes

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me. **

* * *

**Chapter 3: Friends or Foes**

_On the road to home, in a park_

On their way home from school, Nashiko and Ochinko became surprised when Itachi was standing in the middle of the road waiting for them. What was his business?

"Itachi, what on earth are you doing here? Is there something wrong? Nashiko asked politely as possible. The long-haired boy was still giving them his smug look.

"Nothing, I'm only here to have some fun!" he said sarcastically while cracking his knuckles. Both friends widened.

"Nashiko, I think he tends to fight us, now!" Ochinko whispered to her, causing the young girl to be shocked.

"Hey! What are you turtledoves whispering about!? I'm here to beat your sorry asses!" he cursed while staring at them. Ochinko stepped forward, trying to reason with his aggressive classmate.

"Itachi, if you're still upset about the remarks I said earlier, then I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or your brother. I withdraw it!" Ochinko apologised to him in a very mature way. Nashiko smiled, hoping it would soften Itachi's spot. To their surprises, he was still angry.

"Not only did you insult us, you doll! You also insulted our mother! Nobody does that and get's away with it! Not even a son of a bisexual moron like yourself!" Itachi insulted his father, causing Ochinko to glare back at him. Nashiko became very concerned about this confrontation. She took a few steps forward and eyed the raven-haired boy.

"Don't be so mean, Itachi! We are your classmates! What do you want with us anyway?" Nashiko tried to reason with him while being friendly. He merely smirked back at her.

"What I want Nashiko Uzumaki is simple: I challenge both of you numbskulls to a fight!" he barked while preparing his fighting stance. The young girl widened at the mentioning of her full name. Her teal-haired friend became outraged about his aggressiveness.

"Are you completely out of your mind? Senseless fighting like this is strictly forbidden!" he said, but their adversary showed no remorse.

"Like hell I care! FIGHT!" he suddenly declared and began performing hand seals. The two friends became extremely cautious. This boy really meant business.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi shouted and then blew out a large fireball from his mouth. The fireball came towards Nashiko and Ochinko in full speed. Luckily they both managed to avoid it by jumping to their sides for safety. Once the fireball was finished they both went back to the spot and observed the inferno he had caused. That was one heck of an attack!

"Man! That fireball nearly toasted us! I can still feel it's affect on my body, even though I wasn't hit!" Nashiko exclaimed while panting. Ochinko was watching their opponent.

"Damn it! He really means business! That attack he pulled sure took its toll. It's the least I expected from an Uchiha" he remarked while panting. Nashiko became puzzled at the mention of that name.

"Uchiha, I've heard that name before but I don't know what it is" she said.

"The Uchihas were in the ancient days of the shinobi world among the most powerful ninja clans. Tragically they were all massacred in the Leaf many years ago. It was during our parents' years. Today, there exists only one Uchiha left or three to be more specific" Ochinko explained making his classmate interested.

"Really, who are they?" she asked while watching Itachi preparing a next attack.

"First it's their father: Sasuke Uchiha. Then comes his twin sons: Shunsuke and…" before he could say the word, Nashiko said it.

"Itachi?" she asked and her classmate nodded. Then they both returned their attentions to Itachi. Once again, he was preparing to attack them. They had to do something.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" he shouted and small fireballs were shot at them. The two friends became cautious.

Careful! Those fireballs are controlled by chakra!" Ochinko said while Nashiko thought about something. She got and idea and motioned her friend to follow it.

The fireballs managed to hit their targets, something which satisfied Itachi. However, when he discovered that their bodies were replaced by objects thanks to the Substitution Jutsu, he became enraged.

"Damn them! I hate that technique!" he gritted his teeth. However, he soon noticed that they were coming towards him from each their sides. Both were armed with kunais. Itachi merely grinned.

"Hah! Nice try, numbskulls! But see if you can catch me!" he taunted them, as he jumped in the air. Both Nashiko and Ochinko became surprised that he just disappeared. They soon noticed their opponent coming towards them from the air. He gave each of them a kick in their faces, thus sending each of them flying towards their distances.

Nashiko stood up on her feet while groaning. She could still feel the pain, but she stood her ground like a big girl would. The pink-haired girl glared at her arrogant classmate. What kind of jerk would attack his classmates? That was the thing she asked herself. She could see Ochinko lying on the ground unconscious. This meant that she was the only one standing against Itachi.

"That's it, Itachi! If you wanna fight, so be it!" she said confidently and she prepared a special technique she had learned from her own father. Although her mother was against it, Naruto thought that this trick could be very useful. Itachi noticed this and shrugged.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" she shouted, and many different clones appeared beside her. She then ordered her clones to charge towards Itachi, who was staring at them with interest.

"So it's true then! The spoiled brat of Naruto Uzumaki knows the Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu? Intriguing" he remarked and began charging towards the many clones of Nashiko.

The black-haired boy remarkably managed to fight the clones in a hand to hand combat. All the different clones disappeared, and Nashiko understood how a guy like him was capable of handling himself when it came to taijustsu. However, Itachi was surprised when she delivered a strong punch in his arrogant face. This sent him flying towards a tree. The pink-haired konuichi stood and watched his beaten opponent with a goofy grin on her face.

"Hah! Nobody underestimates the strength of my mom!" she said confidently while thinking about the incredible strength she had inherited from her mother. However, the fight was not over yet. Itachi got back on his feet and began to cockily laugh at the confused girl. He was now smirking while staring at her.

"The strength of your mom, you say? What a load of bullcrap!" he said sarcastically and laughed cockily at his classmate once again. "Very well, Nashiko. How about I show you something really special I have inherited from my mother?" he asked while grinning. Nashiko became cautious.

The raven-haired boy did a hand seal which was very new to Nashiko's eyes. Ochinko, who had finally managed to gain conscious, watched the commotion with shock.

"It can't be! Don't tell me that Itachi knows the signature ability of the Yamanaka clan!" he thought while observing Itachi's hand seal. Nashiko stood her ground, preparing to make her next move.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer…." before he could finish the technique, a strong hand suddenly grabbed Itachi's arms, thus cancelling it. He looked up angrily and saw a man with a strong figure. His face was covered by two scars. Based on his clothes, he was a Special Jounin. He was accompanied by two shinobi guards as well as Nashiko's mother: Sakura Haruno. The pink-haired girl widened at her mother's appearance.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" she asked her. The mature woman with a pink hair which was a little bit longer than Nashiko's approached her daughter.

"Nashiko, are you alright? You didn't suffer any dangerous injuries, right?" Sakura asked with a little bit of concern in her voice. Her daughter merely nodded her head.

"It's a few scratches, but it's nothing. However, I don't think Ochinko is feeling alright" Nashiko said while pointing her finger towards her teal-haired classmate, who was struggling to get back on his feet. Sakura decided to check on him if he was alright.

Meanwhile, Itachi was still angry at the adults for interrupting the fight.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? This fight was between me and her, so butt out!" he angrily said to the Special Jounin, but he wouldn't let go of him.

"That's enough fighting for now, son of Sasuke!" the adult said sternly while eyeing the young boy. Itachi gritted his teeth in anger.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here, Ibiki! It looks like this fight could've gotten worse" Sakura stated while healing Ochinko. The old man merely nodded while forcing himself a smile on his face.

"It was nothing, Sakura! Now that this fight's over why don't you take your daughter and this kid home?" the man identified as Ibiki asked her and Sakura nodded. She gathered up Nashiko and her classmate. Ibiki then turned his strict attention towards the raven-haired boy. "I will take this troublemaker back to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. His mother's not gonna like this" he said sternly while sighing.

"Very well, see you around, Ibiki!" Sakura said and she walked with her daughter and Ochinko. The old man nodded with a smile.

"Shimon, Tonbo! Let's go!" he said to his two associates and they walked Itachi home by holding his shoulders firmly.

* * *

_At the Yamanaka Flower Shop_

Ino earned her living as a florist. Of course, it was a strong responsibility. With her husband almost working in the shadows, Ino often strived to keep the business going. But still, she knew that Sasuke also needed to support their family by any means necessary. Furthermore, her two twin sons both helped their mother whenever they could. Ino greatly appreciated their help.

Currently, there were several customers who had visited the flower shop to buy something. Among them were Ino's old teammates: Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi. While they were conversing with each other on the counter, Shunsuke was helping out her mother by watering the flowers. He liked doing that. In fact, Shunsuke always had an attraction to gardens and plants since he was a baby. He overheard his mother's conversation with her old teammates.

"So how's the shop been since you took over?" Shikamaru asked Ino.

"Well I have to admit that keeping up the business has been a harsh test for me. And because of Sasuke working out in the fields, we don't see each other so often. Luckily, I have both Itachi and Shunsuke, who have both been very helpful" Ino said while taking a brief glance at Shunsuke.

"Oh, that's good to hear Ino. You're lucky to have helpful twins!" Shikamaru remarked while observing Ino's youngest twin son.

"Speaking of which, Cheika has told me a lot about the boys at the Ninja Academy. I've heard that Itachi is somewhat a brainy" Chouji told Ino who merely chuckled at his statement.

"Yes, I know! But Shunsuke has been able to succeed on some tests. We all know that he doesn't have his brother's brain, but I still love him, no matter what!" she said, making Shunsuke cheeks red. "However, Iruka-sensei has told me and Sasuke about Itachi's attitude at the Academy and I'm very concerned. Hopefully he will grow up to be an understanding person" Ino said sweetly while she carried a big pot of flowers in her arms.

The door suddenly opened and in came Ibiki, Shimon and Tonbo with Itatchi in front. All the customers turned their attentions towards them.

"Excuse me, Ino. But we would like a couple of words with you!" Ibiki said sternly, causing Ino to drop her pot of flower in shock. It was broken because of that.

"ITACHI!" she said hysterically while watching her former commanders holding her son.

Shunsuke watched the scene with a worried look on his face. Both Shikamaru and Chouji began whispering to each other.

"I think we hit the wrong turn, Chouji" Shikamaru whispered and his friend nodded in agreement.

Ino stepped forwards towards her son and the others. She grabbed Itachi by his shoulders while reaching down to his level. The long-haired boy didn't look at his mother. He kept staring down towards the ground.

"Captain Ibiki! What did Itachi do? Has he done something wrong?" Ino asked the tall and commanding one in the middle.

"Yes Ino! Earlier on the way home from school, Itachi was involved in a battle with two of his classmates" he said sternly, making Ino very shocked.

"Oh that's terrible! Who was it!" she asked them concerned.

"Their names were Ochinko and Nashiko Uzumaki" Tonbo answered. Ino didn't know who Ochinko was, but she knew that Nashiko was the daughter of her biggest rival.

"Are you all sure that Itachi started it? It could have been Nashiko. You know how mischievous that little troll can be" Ino asked him, trying to change the subject, but Shimon scoffed at her.

"There is no point in blaming others, Ino! We saw it with our own eyes! Itachi was the aggressor! In fact, he used dangerous fire style jutsus to attack his classmates. We have pictures if you wanna take a closer look. Do you wanna see them?" he asked in a cold voice. Ino knowing this wouldn't work, politely declined.

"I'm terribly sorry for this, sir! I don't know how this happened, but I swear that it won't happen again!" Ino said strictly while eyeing Itachi with a disappointed look on her face. He still didn't face her, eye to eye.

"I hope so, Ino! Because if your son keeps acting like this, he could be suspended from the Academy, regardless of his fantastic results on the tests! Promise me and the others that you will keep a tighter leash on him. You don't want him to end up like his father, would you?" Ibiki asked strictly, making Itachi glaring at them in anger. Ino could also see her son angrily gritting his teeth in anger. But she answered Ibiki's question.

"No sir! There's no way I would ever allow my sons to end up like him. But that's all in the past now. Sasuke is a good husband and father" she said with her touching voice. Itachi could notice her mother feeling uncomfortable after saying this. Ibiki sighed and smiled.

"Very well, then we will leave the rest to you, Ino! Take care of your sons!" he said with a much kinder voice. He and his associates then walked out of the shop and closed the door. The customers who had been watching the whole thing, returned to their businesses as usual. Ino was still feeling uncomfortable, but Itachi tried to comfort her.

"Mom….are you alright?" he asked lowly. Ino suddenly took her son's hand and then walked to their living room in the building.

"Don't worry, mom! I will take care of the customers!" Shunsuke said, and he went to the counter.

* * *

_In the living room_

Itachi and his mother sat together on a sofa in order for them to converse with each other in private. Ino had felt completely embarrassed when every customer heard what was said in the shop. Itachi felt very sorry for her.

"I'm so sorry, mom! I didn't mean for things to go so bad" Itachi tried to apologize with a sad voice.

"Honey, why can't you behave yourself towards others? What you did to Nashiko and Ochinko was very rude!" she explained to him.

"I'm sorry, but that queer Ochinko spoke ill of you! He said you were a whore and had sex with dad for money!" Itachi tried to lie in order to justify his actions.

"Itachi, I have told you not to come up with such homophobic remarks! But still, why did you attack Nashiko?" she asked him and wanted an answer. Itachi bit his lips

"She was annoying me and wouldn't leave me alone! Furthermore, it was because of that stupid prank of hers that I and Shunsuke got stuck at the Academy longer" he angrily muttered, causing Ino to laugh.

"But my little num-numbs! She was definitely trying to be your friend. You should be happy about this! You don't speak to anyone else besides your brother" she explained. Itachi sighed in annoyance.

"Okay, maybe I overreacted at her. But Ochinko was still acting like an asshole! You think I would just accept him badmouthing you?" Itachi asked her, but he noticed a sad look on his mother's face.

"Mom….are you…." Itachi was suddenly hugged deeply by her mother. This hug made the usually cold-headed Itachi cry. Tears were streaming from his eyes.

"Mother….I'm…..I'm sorry" he said sadly while hugging back Ino. The hug finished and Ino decided to head down to the shop.

"I have to return down to the counter. Shunsuke could need my assistance. You can just go to your room and rest. It must have been a hard day for you. By the way Itachi, dad is coming to visit. He has just returned from the fields. It's Friday, you know and we will enjoy ourselves!" she smiled while saying this. But Itachi gritted angrily.

"If you see him then tell that bastard I'm out of town!" he declared and he went up to his room. Ino merely sighed at his behaviour.

"That boy, he's just like what his father was at his age" she thought annoyingly while observing her son going to his room.

* * *

**Author's note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was indeed long, but touching. There will be more soon!**


	4. An Ambitious Weekend Part 1

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me. **

**Chapter 4: An Ambitious Weekend Part 1**

* * *

_Uzumaki residence, Konoha_

Nashiko was now lying on the couch in her living room. She had been doing that for the last hours since arriving home from that unpleasant confrontation with Itachi. Before heading home, she and her mother had dropped off Ochinko to his father: Sai. He became upset about his son's condition, but Sakura ensured him that Ochinko was healed. Sai was always busy on work and he had a brief break from work when he was home.

While lying on the couch, she could barley hear her mother having a private conversation with his father, who had just returned home from work. As much as she wanted to eavesdrop on them, she didn't bother, given her laziness for the approaching weekend. She noticed her younger, blonde-haired brother Jiro reading a book. He briefly took a glimpse at his sister.

"Sister, is it true that you were involved in a fight?" he asked her concerned. Nashiko shrugged casually.

"Nah, it was just an altercation, you know. But don't get me wrong! I punched that jerk face, Itachi and sent him flying. Hah! To think that he underestimated the strength of a girl! He should've seen that coming!" the young girl began laughing cockily. Jiro merely sweat dropped at her sister's overconfidence. He also expressed some concern for her.

"Look Nashiko! I admire your enthusiasm and all, but you shouldn't really underestimate a guy like him. After all, he is one of the last Uchiha's children. Who knows what Itachi might be capable of" Jiro said uneasily while mentioning her classmate. Jiro was not necessarily the bravest shinobi, but he had a friendly soul.

Nashiko became confused at her brother's uneasiness. Not only did Ochinko view Itachi of concern, but her brother did that too. She thought about him and his twin brother Shunsuke. Sure, Itachi was an arrogant brat, but he wasn't necessarily evil. The same thing could be said of Shunsuke, who was among the most kind-hearted persons she knew in class. She was interested in them and wished to learn more. The same thing could be said of her other classmates, like Ochinko.

"Well, I take your advice, little bro! But you shouldn't be so concerned about me! Itachi might be a scary type, but he doesn't scare me at all!" Nashiko said confidently.

Jiro sighed while continuing reading. "Fair enough, I only hope you know what you are doing, big sis!" he responded to his sisters confident remark.

The young girl's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she felt her father's presence beside her. He was smiling at her as usual. Nashiko merely watched her father with wondering eyes.

"Hey Nashiko, are you feeling alright?" Naruto asked his daughter.

"I'm fine daddy! Mom must have told you what happened after school, right?" Nashiko asked while denying any uneasiness around her. Naruto nodded.

"Tell me, pumpkin! How was the feeling of fighting against Itachi?" Naruto asked with curiosity in his voice. Nashiko widened at the fact that her father was interested about her fight. But this made her more than happy to reply back.

"Well, it was tricky to begin with, but once I realised that he was a lose cannon, I went full power! I used the jutsu you taught me and punched his arrogant and smug face!" Nashiko said confidently, causing her father to force a chuckle on his face.

"Wow! You sure remind me a lot of both me and your mom. You are very headstrong and get easily ticked off!" Naruto said and he started laughing. Nashiko stared at him outrageous. She could also hear Jiro laughing in the background, but her attention was focused mostly on Naruto. She didn't necessarily like being compared to her mother, especially when it came to the easily ticked off thing.

"What! I don't get easily ticked off, you frog-loving pervert!" she retorted, making her dad confused.

"Whoa! Easy there, pumpkin! How can I be a pervert when I'm already married to a strong and beautiful woman like your mom? Well?" Naruto tried to act cool when questioning her. Nashiko facepalmed, as did Jiro.

"I don't think you realize it daddy, but I've seen you when you're reading those dirty magazines mom forbids you to! Are you interested in other women, huh?" Nashiko teasingly asked her father, making him sweating with awkward.

"Shut your mouth, little brat! I'm a grown up man, so I can do whatever the heck I want, you know!" Naruto retorted, but he suddenly got his head banged by his short-tempered wife. Sakura stared at Naruto dispassionately while angrily gritting her teeth.

"DON'T YOU EVER BE THAT DISRESPECTFUL TOWARDS OUR DAUGHTER YOU DUMBASS!" Sakura angrily shouted towards him. Jiro, who was still too young to learn these words, had his ears covered thanks to Nashiko's hands. Naruto was lying on the ground in fear of his aggressive wife.

"Why…c-can't….you….control your anger, Sakura?" Naruto awkwardly asked while struggling to get back on his feet. Sakura sighed in annoyance while taking a seat beside her daughter.

"Listen closely, Nashiko. I thought that in the weekend, I and daddy will have a little chat with Itachi's parents. His father is staying there over the weekend, so we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to discuss about your confrontation with Itachi earlier" Sakura told Nashiko, making her surprised.

"Oh, okay. But won't I and Jiro be coming along with you?" Nashiko asked her mother.

"Well, based on the events from earlier, I have a little uncertainty of you being safe with Itachi. I mean, Shunsuke is nice, but his brother is different, considering the fact that Sasuke is staying over" Sakura noted with her voice of reasoning. But Nashiko was still confused.

"What has that to do with anything related to Itachi?" she asked her mother, but Sakura waved her hand.

"Let's just forget this, for now! C'mon, it's Friday Night! Shouldn't we enjoy ourselves in front of television or something?" Sakura asked cheerfully and Naruto immediately responded.

"Now you're talking! How about some popcorn? Are you with me, Jiro?" Naruto asked his son and he jumped off his chair to follow his dad into the kitchen. Nashiko and Sakura were sitting on the sofa, with Nashiko completely lost in thoughts. But tonight, she would just enjoy herself, for now!

* * *

_Ochinko's house_

Ochinko was now painting a picture he had been working on for days. Both his father and his mother Asami Nakano were both impressed by their son's galleries. Ochinko was known to have drawn many pictures. In fact, he drew a lot during class, something which made him socially awkward. While painting, the door to his room suddenly opened. It was his mother, who was noted for her long teal coloured hair. Ochinko smiled at his mother and took a break from his painting.

"What is it mother? Is something wrong?" he asked Asami.

"It's nothing, my little child. I just came here to tell you that your father is coming home late tonight, so I'm afraid he won't be joining us this Friday night" the woman said with disappointment in her voice. But Ochinko merely smiled.

"That's okay, mother! We both know that father is striving to support us as a family. Besides, you and I can do something together!" he stated with his proposal. His mother chuckled.

"Very well, shall we go downstairs and find something on television?" Asami asked her son sweetly. Ochinko merely nodded with his friendly smile.

The painting had helped him forget the confrontation with Itachi from earlier. And the Friday night would help things better. He had thought a little about how Nashiko were doing. The teal-haired boy never underestimated his classmate's headstrong personality. However, he also thought how Itachi was doing. Hopefully he would have much to think about the actions he did earlier. But still, Ochinko felt ashamed for meddling into something he wasn't interested in. Perhaps he was acting quite idiotic about the insult he gave him. He wanted to somehow apologise to him, but communicating with the likes of Itachi was very difficult indeed.

* * *

_Uchiha residence, Konoha_

Itachi was now walking through the corridor outside his room. He had recently been taking a nap after the conversation he had with his mother. Now, he wanted to talk to her again. It was about something related to school, not the incident from earlier. He had gotten over it, although it was difficult to do so.

When he got downstairs, he smelled something good in the kitchen. He thought it was his mother cooking dinner for the Friday night. But as he reached the kitchen, he found Shunsuke standing there. He was cooking the dinner. This made the long-haired boy surprised.

"Oh Itachi, you're awake!" Shunsuke exclaimed cheerful while chopping a fish. His twin brother stood there in silence.

"Shunsuke, why are you doing the cooking? I mean, where is mom?" Itachi asked him, wondering why he was doing this.

"Well, since dad is staying over I wanted to make some delicious sushi! So I took the responsibility of cooking the dinner. Besides, mom and dad really needed a private conversation so…" Shunsuke stopped when he could hear Itachi barking an angrily demand.

"Where are they!?" he demanded an answer from his twin brother. Shunsuke sighed before replying.

"They're in the living room. But look, Itachi! Don't be so harsh on dad. I mean, he deeply cares about us, especially for mom! So can you please pretend you're…" Shunsuke stooped answering, when he noticed his brother just leaving the kitchen. The short-haired spiky boy merely sighed in disappointment at his brother's disrespectful manners.

When he finally arrived at the living room, Itachi was both surprised and angry at the same time. He stood in the opening and watched his father making out with his mother on the couch. They were enjoying themselves like a couple would, but Itachi resented that. Ino noticed her oldest twin son standing and she immediately loosened herself from Sasuke's embrace.

"Itachi, you're awake! I didn't see you there. What's the matter sweetie?" Ino asked her son who was standing there with his arms crossed. His gaze was completely fixed upon Sasuke, who was gazing back at him. Ino noticed them both staring at each other and became concerned.

"Hello, Itachi. How are you feeling tonight?" Sasuke asked in his normal and neutral voice. Itachi kept staring at him.

"What does it matter to you? You know how I always feel!" Itachi replied bitterly. Sasuke was still giving him his displeased look.

"Really, I actually don't know how you feel. Now tell me son: is it true that you were involved in an altercation with some classmates of yours?" Sasuke wanted an answer from him. Itachi merely gritted his teeth in anger.

"Yes, that's right! I was challenging both Ochinko and Nashiko to a fight. But members from the Interrogation Squad interrupted us and ceased it" Itachi explained to his father, who was now closing his eyes. To his son's and wife's surprises, he forced a chuckle on his face.

"You mean with Naruto's daughter? How interesting" Sasuke remarked. Ino decided to speak up.

"Sasuke, don't try to encourage him to do something like that?" Ino tried with a half-heartily attempt while hugging him. Sasuke shrugged.

"You don't say. I'm just amused that our little boy is doing something useful for once! Especially when it comes to please me as…" Sasuke was immediately interrupted by his son's aggressive voice.

"I didn't do that in order to please you!" Itachi lashed out while glaring at his father. Sasuke stared at him with interest, but suddenly chuckled again.

"Then why did you challenge them? Do you mind telling me why?" he asked sarcastically while grinning cockily at his son.

"I only did this because of mom! One of those idiot classmates of mine insulted her!" Itachi replied coldly, his glare never leaving his father. Sasuke started to laugh at his answer.

"Are you telling me that all this commotion started because of a small mentioning about your mother? Don't be ridiculous, Itachi!" he taunted his son, which made Itachi angrier. Ino stood in the middle of the two, trying to end their commotion.

"Sweetheart, don't start this again! It's Friday night! Can we all please enjoy ourselves as family just this night? It would mean a lot to me, as well as Shunsuke!" she pleaded to them while standing in the middle. Both her husband and her son stared at her with normal glances. After a few minutes, Sasuke shrugged.

"Well, I don't have anything against being with my family on a Friday night! It's just our little spoiled brat here who refuses to socialize when I'm around!" Sasuke stated while briefly giving his son a disapproving look. The long-haired boy gritted his teeth in anger, given the stare he received from his father. However, Itachi also wanted to make his mother feel happy, considering how busy she was heading the flower shop. He also knew that Ino had been experiencing many difficulties thanks to the altercation from earlier. Taking a deep breath, Itachi controlled his mind and spoke plainly.

"Okay mom. I will join you in this time. But I don't wanna acknowledge him, though" Itachi pointed out while speaking to his mother. Ino sighed relief. Usually it was very difficult to get the family together, given the troubled relationship between her husband and her oldest twin son.

"Then why don't we all go to the kitchen? I'm sure Shunsuke must require help with the cooking!" Ino tried to change the subject and motioned her husband and son to follow her. They went into the kitchen.

* * *

_During dinner_

The Yamanaka-Uchiha family was enjoying delicious sushi at their table. While eating, Shunsuke decided to ask his father about something important. Ino and Itachi paid attention.

"Hey dad, there is something I've been wondering about. Was it true….the Uchiha clan….was cursed?" he asked his father uncomfortably. Sasuke merely lit his head up and stared towards his younger twin son. Ino stopped eating and watched the scene, as did Itachi.

"Shunsuke, why are you asking a question like that? Is there something your mother has told you?" Sasuke asked sternly while briefly glancing at his wife, who immediately waved her hand.

"Don't be ridiculous Sasuke! Why would I ever tell our boys about something like that?" Ino asked her husband, who continued to glance at her. He was giving her a disapproving glance. Ino was still trying to prove her innocence.

"Don't you ever listen to me when I explain something to you, vixen!? I'm asking whether you…" before Sasuke could continue to attack her verbally, Itachi butted in by angrily scolding his father's disrespect.

"Don't talk to mom like that you bastard! You should show some manners when conversing with women, especially your wife!" Itachi barked, earning him a glare from his irritated father.

"What's the matter, boy? Are your still upset that you lost the match from earlier today?" he asked him with a smirk on his face. Itachi glared back at his father. Ino was beginning to feel uneasy. She didn't want them to start another altercation.

"Itachi, Sasuke! Remember what you two promised me! No fighting over dinner!" she tried to remind them about their promise. But her son and husband continued to glare at each other. She could feel a growing animosity between them. All was quiet, until Shunsuke spoke up.

"Can we please just stop this? This altercation has gone too far! I cooked the dinner, and I would really appreciate if you all just enjoyed your dinner. But Dad, about what I said…" before Shunsuke could continue his conversation with Sasuke while trying to reasoning with his family, Itachi suddenly interrupted him.

"Shunsuke, don't even bother speaking to him! You know he only expresses disappointment in you! He can't even help his own sons like a real father!" Itachi stated while trying to convince his twin brother to stop this.

"I am the father of this household and I have an obligation to help my sons. So you better watch what you're saying, you spoiled brat!" Sasuke stated calmly. Itachi fixed his eyes upon his father.

"Why don't you shut that arrogant mouth yourself, you cold-hearted son of a…" before Itachi could threaten his father, Shunsuke covered his mouth by using his hand. He wanted to stop this commotion, because it really felt like nothing of this was helping.

"The truth is dad…someone in the grocery shop…..insulted me!" Shunsuke said sadly while staring down towards his food. Ino became shocked and moved closer to him, while Sasuke watched Shunsuke with interest.

"Then why did they insult you? You hadn't done anything to harm them, right?" Sasuke asked his son, who was still staring towards the table. He began sniffing and they could see small tears coming out of his eyes.

"No….it's just that….they said I was never fit to be a ninja because….I was an Uchiha" Shunsuke said while trying to hold back his tears. His mother looked at him with concern.

"Awww, Shunsuke! Of course you are fit to be a ninja. Don't be so harsh on yourself!" Ino tried to cheer him up, but she was suddenly surprised by her husband putting his hand on Shunsuke's head. The young spiky-haired boy lit his head up towards his father, who was staring at him neutrally.

"They may be right that there were many Uchihas who were twisted and I….counted myself among them long ago" he said lowly while staring down towards his son, who tried to pay attention to what he said.

"B-But uncle Itachi was never twisted! He was a hero who sacrificed himself for the Leaf, right?" Shunsuke asked while sniffing. His twin brother widened at the mentioning of his deceased uncle. Their father had told much about him when they were younger, not to mention the fact that Itachi himself was named in honour of him. Truth is, the young long-haired boy didn't know much about him, only through the stories he had heard.

Sasuke smiled lightly at him, something he rarely did. "Yes, but not just him, many others also inherited the Will of Fire" he stated lowly. Ino watched the interaction between Shunsuke and her husband with a sad smile. Itachi on the other hand had a neutral expression on his face.

"Shunsuke, do you want to rest? Your father and I can clean up, since you cooked everything" Ino asked him and he nodded silently. Shunsuke then left the table and went up to his room. This left only Itachi and his parents in the kitchen. But Itachi was about the leave the kitchen, when his father suddenly called to him.

"Hey, where do you think you are going!? Since you didn't assist Shunsuke with the cooking, you will help us cleaning the dishes! So get back here!" Sasuke commanded him while he was washing a plate.

Itachi sighed irritated before answering. "Yes! I will help MOM with cleaning the dishes, but not YOU! So don't expect me to kiss your ass!" he angrily told his father as he approached his mother.

Sasuke glared at his son with a serious expression. "Fine, I didn't want to kiss your ass either!" Sasuke hit back and returned to his business.

While both her oldest twin son and husband were doing things separately, Ino merely sighed as she did her part of the cleaning. She wondered how the weekend at the house was going to be. She also knew that Naruto and Sakura wanted to come over for a visit. This was something she looked forward to, but she knew the reason behind this visit.

* * *

**Author's note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Updating soon coming up! **


	5. An Ambitious Weekend Part 2

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me. **

**Chapter 5: An Ambitious Weekend Part 2**

* * *

_Next Day, Nara household, Leaf Village  
_

In a dark room, a young dark blonde-haired boy was sleeping in his large bed. He his hair was very messy and he wore studs on each ear. This young boy was an intelligent fellow called Shikio Nara, but he was also known by his classmates and instructor as the "lazy-ass punk". Shikio was sleeping so sweet, until the door to his bedroom opened. This caused the young boy to groan irritated, giving the strong light the opening gave him.

"Hey! Put out those lights! I'm sleeping!" Shikio groaned while refusing to open his eyes. But what he didn't know was which person who was groaning to.

It was a woman with dark-blonde hair tied in four ponytails. She carried a large fan along with her. It was his mother Temari. She eyed her lazy son irritated.

"Get out of the bed you, lousy punk!" Temari commanded and she began swishing her fan. Out from it, strong winds emerged and they were all aimed at Shikio. The winds were so powerful that his blanket was blown away and eventually his t-shirt and pyjamas pants as well. This left him only half naked (wearing only his underwear and his socks). It didn't take long before Shikio woke up and froze like hell thanks to his mother's technique.

"Mom, wh-what…th-the…h-hell…a-are….y-you doing!?" Shiko asked while shivering. His whole body was shaking thanks to the strong winds.

Temari smirked at her son. "Isn't it obvious? I'm waking you up because you have chores to do!" she stated sternly, making Shikio irritated.

"What? What more stupid chores do I have to do!? Yesterday, I cleaned up the whole dinner you made!" Shikio snapped while trying to dig his way out.

His mother became furious. "I wasn't talking about kitchen chores! I was talking about" she stretched her arms into long directions. "THIS!" she added while observing the mess in his room.

Shikio stared at her in annoyance. "So it's messy here! So what? It's my room! I can do whatever I want with it!" he retorted to his mother, who was still irritated by her son's behaviour.

"Shikio, you must clean up your room! It's a total mess here, not to mention the terrible smell! This is the last time you will ever eat food in your room!" Temari stated while crossing her arms.

Shikio became outraged by that declaration. "WHAT! You can't do that! It's Saturday! I mean" before he could continue arguing, his mother threw some clean clothes for him to use upon his head. They reminded somewhat of the clothes his father wore at his age except for that fact they were black and red.

"Don't give that crap! Get dressed and come down to the kitchen for breakfast! And DON'T take too long!" Temari said sternly and she left her son's bedroom. Shiko grumbled once his mother was out, while getting up from bed.

"Man! This is such a drag!" he remarked annoyingly while heading towards the nearest bathroom to get himself dressed. That catchphrase was also been used by his father at his age.

* * *

_In the kitchen_

Shikio had just gotten dressed and he went to the kitchen. He had washed his hair, and the dark-blonde hair of his had been tied to a spiky ponytail. His mother was soon cleaning, while his father was reading the newspaper. When Shikio took a seat, his father put his newspaper away and watched his son eating.

"So tell me Shikio. How has the academy been in the last few days?" Shikamaru asked while taking a cigarette into his mouth.

"Well, to tell you the truth, nothing special. Iruka-sensei still teaches us the same lame subjects we need to understand. I just wanna get prepared for the Chuunin Exams" Shikio stated making his father chuckle with amusement.

"It's odd. When I was at your age I wasn't necessarily so keen on the exams. But I managed to pass through" Shikamaru shrugged while remembering his days as an aspiring chuunin. It was also during that time when I first met your mother. We two had one hell of a battle" he added, causing Temari to blush with embarrassment. Shikio was not necessarily impressed by his father's story.

"Honey, don't say such things in front of our boy! You're embarrassing me!" Temari said while grabbing the shoulders of her husband.

Shikamaru laughed sweetly. "C'mon Temari, perhaps Shikio will experience the same thing as me! Who knows, he has many wonderful opportunities ahead of him" Shikamaru remarked while eyeing his son who was merely staring at his father, unenthusiastic.

"Yeah right, like I will follow into the footsteps of someone like you!" he thought while glancing at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru suddenly rose up from his table and gave his wife a brief kiss on her lips. Shikio knew what this meant. And he had a smart plan.

"Well I better get going! The Hokage has summoned us for an important meeting regarding the upcoming events, so I need to participate. I will be home before you travel to the Sand for your mission. Is that okay, Temari?" he asked her and she nodded slightly.

"Just make sure you do your job, Shikamaru. But we also deserve a little time together for ourselves, don't we?" Temari teasingly asked her husband, who merely chuckled in return.

"I get your picture, sweetie! But trust me, we will do that. Now you and Shikio take good care of the house while I'm at work, right son?" Shikamaru suddenly turned his attention at the table, only to find out that he was not sitting there anymore, much to his confusion and his wife's irritation.

"Uh, where did he go?" Shikamaru stated widened.

"What kind of punk of a son have we created together, Shikamaru?" Temari asked irritated while starting to search for their son. Shikamaru merely laughed at this. He was amused by how much his son was different from him. The lazy, but smart head of the Nara clan was definitely not disappointed in his family, especially Temari.

* * *

_In the streets of the Leaf Village_

As soon as Shikio fought he was far away from his strict mother, he proceeded to walk around the streets of the Leaf Village in a normal mode. He walked pass through many citizens of the village as he thought about the upcoming events. He had to admit he was very ambitious in passing the exams. But at the same time, Shikio thought it was too boring for his own taste. However, this was the shinobi world and every young genins needed to pass the exams, in order to become chuunins. He wondered what team he would end up in.

"Hey Shikio, over here!" a cheerful voice filled with joy called over to the dark blonde-haired boy. As Shikio turned around, he smiled.

It was a very close friend of his, Cheika Akimichi. The chubby girl with dark brown hair had known Shikio since they were both small children. It was most likely due to the friendship between their fathers, as well as the close links to the Nara clan and Akimichi clan respectively. Although many young ninjas (both male and female) disliked her because of her weight, Shikio was among the few people at the Ninja Academy to tolerate her appearance. This made their friendship stronger.

"Hey! How're you doing?" Shikio asked the stout konuichi, who held a strawberry slush in her right hand.

"I'm just starting the weekend with a delicious slush. I've just finished cleaning my room. Mom and dad gave me money for my effort and I used some of them on this" she stated with gleefully eyes while taking a slurp from her slush. "What about you?" she suddenly asked her best friend.

Shikio sighed before answering. "Nah it's all troubling for me. Mom keeps making me do these stupid-ass chores and now she wants me to clean up my room. I just ran out from the house so I'm hiding from her" he stated irritated while watching around the area for his chasing mother. So far there were no signs of her.

Cheika laughed at her punk-styled friend. "Well that's rich coming from a guy who openly dislikes areas with smells" she said while continuing laughing.

The young boy stared at his friend insulted. "Hey! My room doesn't stink at all! The only things lying in there are some of my valuable gifts from uncle Gaara! They are all valuable stuff coming from the desert!" Shikio explained, much to Cheika's interest.

"Whoa, you must be very lucky to have the Kazekage as your uncle. I mean, he is among the strongest shinobis in the world" Cheika remarked, causing Shikio to smirk with satisfaction.

"You're darn right I am! I've heard that uncle Gaara is coming to visit the Leaf Village as an observer during the finals of the chuunin exams. Oh boy I can't wait to show him my talents!" Shikio said with excitement in his voice. Cheika was amused by this

However, their conversation was interrupted when a young shinobi dressed in a white hoodie approached the pair. He had short blonde hair, which was a little bit spiky. He also wore round sunglasses and it was impossible to even see his eyes, as well as his pupils. It was a fellow student from the academy, as well as a ninja from the bug-using Aburame clan: Saburou Aburame. He watched the pair, which made the pair confused.

"What are you doing here, Saburou? Why the stern look?" Cheika asked uneasily trying to be nice.

The strange boy kept looking at them in silence. He wasn't much of a talker like for example Ochinko, but he was still their classmate, as well as a shinobi.

"I'm just on my way to something important. But I happen to run into you on my way" he stated calmly while eyeing them.

This made Shikio interested. "Hey what do you mean by something important? I wanna know!" the dark blonde-haired kid demanded an answer from him while approaching to his face. Cheika became concerned about this.

"Hey Shikio, don't act all tough on him" she politely asked her friend, but Shikio shrugged and put his face closer to Saburou's.

The young white-dresses shinobi sighed in irritation before answering. "Careful what you wish for, punk! As I already told you it is something important and it doesn't really concern you!" Saburou stated sternly, his gaze never leaving Shikio.

Shikio was irritated by his classmate's arrogant persona, but he brushed it off when he decided to leave him alone. He eyed his chubby friend.

"Hey Cheika, I was planning on visiting the Combat Alley in order to test my skills. Do you wanna tag along?" he asked her with encouraging words.

Cheika smiled at his request and she was more than happy to oblige. She wanted to hang out with her closest friend. But before the pair left, Shikio turned around to face Saburou with a confidential smirk on his face.

"That's the spirit, pal! I think bugboy here is too much of a pussy to be joining in the fights! Eh Saburou?" he insultingly asked his classmate, who didn't necessarily seem offended by his remark. He merely crossed in arms in disappointment.

"Truth is, punk. I was actually headed that way. Are you up to the challenge?" he asked Shikio, who was surprised at this. He was also headed for the Combat Alley to test his fighting skills.

Cheika smiled at Saburou and she nudged against his rebellious firend. "Then it's all settled! Let's go to the Combat Valley together! I'm sure it will be fun!" she stated cheerfully while taking a brief glance at Saburou. To her surprise, he smiled at her as a token of gratitude. This was very unusual of him, considering his analytic personality. Shikio merely grumbled at this declaration, but he kept his cool. The three friends then took off towards the Combat Alley.

* * *

_Combat Alley, Leaf Village_

In a large but abandoned alley, there were no signs of activity. The whole place was filled with shadow and garbage. In fact, none of the shinobi guards didn't even bother patrolling in this so-called lifeless place. This made an alley like this a perfect place to test their fighting abilities, since no one from the guards would interfere in their fights. During nights it was left empty, but during days, it was filled with fighting and activities.

Shikio, Cheika and Saburou arrived at the alley and they immediately noticed the large gathering of ninjas seeking to test their abilities. Some of them were grown-ups or even worse: rogue ninjas. But most of these ambitious shinobis and konuichis were young genins, who wanted to enter the world of ninjas and the way of better understanding the shinobi world.

"Wow! So many people here! I bet a lot of these guys possess some tricks up their sleeves!" Cheika remarked while observing the various fighters.

"Perhaps, but they won't be so cocky or confident once I've beaten their asses!" Shikio stated unenthusiastic.

Saburou sighed in annoyance while watching how unrealistic and lazy Shikio behaved. He still didn't get a clue about why he was amongst the top students in their class. Of course, Saburou was also among them, but he was more calculating compared to his classmate.

"I have you know Shikio that you are among the people I wish to fight. Unfortunately for you, I have someone else to favour as a worthy opponent" Saburou stated while ignoring the death glare given to him by Shikio.

"Oh yeah, who is the one you really want to challenge!?" Shikio asked with irritation in his voice.

Saburou didn't answer. He was still ignoring his lazy classmate as usual. However the trio stopped when they noticed a bunch of konuichis screaming with eyes of love. They were all hanging around a young black-haired boy, who was irritated by the girls hanging around him. Outside the crowd stood a timid boy who was chuckling at the commotion the long-haired boy was in.

"Hey that's Shunsuke Uchihia! He's a nice guy! And is that long-haired boy surrounded by the girls" before Cheika could continue her question, Shikio answered for her.

"Itachi, Itachi Uchihia" he stated calmly. "He is one tough bastard" he added with a smirk on his face.

They could see Itachi as he was growing irritated by the girls surrounding him. Amongst them were some of his admirers Nashiko Uzumaki and Manami Inuzuka. But it didn't take long before the long-haired boy noticed the trio watching him and he rose up from his seat and approached them slowly. His gaze was mostly focused on Shikio and Saburou. Cheika was now a little bit worried about what he was going to do. She had heard from her father about how Itachi had started a fight with both Nashiko and Ochinko. Luckily it had been stopped thanks to the interference of the Interrogation Squad.

"Howdy Itachi, lovely day isn't it?" Shikio asked him with a so-called politely voice. The long-haired boy wasn't impressed by his funny-guy impression.

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course the day is lovely! I can see clearly, unlike you who sleep during class!" Itachi stated with irritation in his voice.

Shikio merely chuckled at his aggressive classmate. "Of course I know that! C'mon Itachi, can't you even take a joke?" he asked while laughing.

Meanwhile, Cheika started a conversation with Nashiko, Manami and Shunsuke. It was much more of a positive conversation compared to the one between Itachi and Shikio.

"So you were hanging around him for what?" Cheika asked her fellow konuichis Nashikio and Manami with curiosity.

"Well, it's simple: I wanted to ask him for a rematch!" Nashiko answered with confidence in her voice. "I wanna test my strength against him, but so far he's declined my offer" she added.

"Mine is different. I asked if he wanted to hang out with me sometimes, but he also declined. I seriously need someone I can connect to! Being stuck with Takeshi sure is annoying!" she complained while mentioning her twin brother's name.

"What about you, Shunsuke? Why are you here? Are you also interested in testing your skills?" Cheika asked Itachi's twin brother.

Shunsuke sighed before answering. "I came here to look after my brother. Itachi didn't want to spend the Saturday at home because of dad so he wanted to test his skills here. I only hope he knows what he is doing. He promised to mom that he wouldn't upset her in the weekend" he answered her question with concern in his voice.

All the girls felt sorry for the timid, but kind-hearted boy. "Your family is really complicated, isn't it, Shunsuke?" Nashiko asked concerned. He merely nodded in silence. Shunsuke became surprised when he felt Manami's hand on his right shoulder.

"You are not alone in troubled families, Shunsuke. In our family, the relationship between mom and dad is somewhat strained. My dad is a proud member of the Inuzuka clan, but he constantly comes home late from work. He spends most of his time in the bar drinking with his "buddies". Both I and Takeshi have repeatedly carried him home from the bar because of him being completely drunk. Dad can sometimes be very aggressive towards mom and her life as a wife and mother is completely ruined" Manami told him with a sad voice.

Shunsuke watched her with a sympathetic look on his face. Was Manami speaking the truth? Who in their right mind would do something horrible as being miserable towards his family? Somehow, Shunsuke whished he could help her and Takeshi.

Suddenly, everything changed when a large explosion appeared in the midts of the genins. It was a barrage and sent them flying towards various directions.

* * *

**Author's note: That was the second part of An Ambitious Weekend. Stay tuned!**


	6. An Ambitious Weekend Part 3

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: An Ambitious Weekend Part 3**

_Battle Alley, Leaf Village_

It was quite a ruckus this barrage had created. Most of the young genins and other shinobis alike were sent flying. Nashiko and her classmates were all shocked by this sudden commotion happening in front of them. Was there an attack going on? This could actually attract the attention of the shinobi guards, but none of them managed to notice the rumble.

When the commotion was finally over, the young shinobis gathered themselves and watched the one responsible for this mess. It was a young boy with short brown-hair which was curved upwards. When people first got a look at his face, they became dumbfounded. He had thick brown eyebrows as well as weird eyes. The pupils in his eyes were completely black. His choice of attire was also very ridiculous. He was wearing a grey jumpsuit. The people around him couldn't believe their eyes, even Nashiko and her classmates. He was about one year older then her and his friends.

The grey-dressed shinobi suddenly smirked while giving his so-called spectators his thumb. Eventually he forced himself a smile on his face.

"Sorry about that, my fellow ninjas! But I just wanted to test out my ability! You have to admit it was amazing though, right?" he asked the genins around him, but they were all giving him dumbfounded looks.

"Well you certainly don't look like you're…talkative" he added while continuing his confident personality.

Nashiko stepped a little bit forward towards him, feeling very curious about this boy. "Umm excuse me mister….but who are you?" she asked awkwardly.

The boy noticed her and his personality completely changed. He smiled at her and to Nashiko's surprise he threw a kiss at her. Nashiko was completely outraged.

"WHO THE HECK IS THIS WEIRDO!?" Nashiko asked inside her mind while getting furious about this boy's flirting.

"Aren't you a lovely little lady, huh cheery pie?" he asked her while winking at her. Nashiko was disgusted by his behaviour. Her anger also began boiling inside her considering the irritation she felt.

"Don't you ever do that to ME AGAIN, FUZZY EYES!" she shouted towards him and was about to give her a punch, but she was restrained by the sudden appearance of Ochinko. He had watched the all this commotion and had suddenly taken interest in this shinobi.

"Don't be so aggressive, Nashiko. Perhaps he was trying to pull a prank on you" Ochinko tried to reason with her while struggling with holding her arms.

Nashiko turned around and glared at his teal-haired friend with fiery eyes. This made Ochinko feel very uncomfortable being close to his short-tempered classmate. Eventually he backed off and distanced himself a little bit from her. Nashiko returned her glare towards the strange shinobi.

"Alright pal! Who are you exactly?" she demanded an answer from him.

The grey-dressed shinobi smirked. "I am glad you asked! The one standing before you is a shinobi with mastery on taijutsu, as well as weapons. I strive for the power of eternal youth! But you small fries can call me: ROCK GUY!" he introduced himself while positioning himself in his fighting stance.

Nashiko and her friends became very curious about this Rock Guy. Shunsuke in particular was chuckling in amusement of Guy. However, others like Itachi, Shikio, Saburou and Manami watched him with disappointment. They were not necessarily impressed by his confident attitude.

Shunsuke stepped forward while reaching out his hand. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Guy! My name is Shunsuke Uchiha" he introduced himself.

Guy smiled back and greeted back. "The pleasure is mine as well! And I take it that long-haired boy with that similar face is your twin brother Itachi, right?" he asked while pointing his finger towards the emotionless young boy. Itachi was noticing this and became confused.

"Huh? How do you know my brother's name?" Shunsuke asked with widened eyes.

Guy took a glance at him and smirked. "Isn't it obvious? I have heard many stories about how strong one of the last Uchiha's twin sons really are. Among those in your class, he has my deepest interest, as well as this sweet cherry pie here!" he commented while eyeing both Itachi and Nashiko.

Although Nashiko was enraged at first given the remark, she was somewhat surprised by the fact that Guy was finding interest in her. She couldn't even understand why a fuzz eyed doofus like him would find interest in searching for opponents.

Itachi was glaring at Guy. Even though he spoke the truth, Itachi hated the fact that he was known around the village just because he was one of Sasuke Uchiha's sons. But still, he managed to keep his cool and continued to watch him with an irritated look on his face.

Suddenly the whole mood in the alley was interrupted, when a large female voice called out to him.

"There you are Guy! Where have you been?" the female voice said from the entrance to the alley.

"Will you for the last time stop running off again!? It's a big pain in the ass!" a muttering male voice could be heard at the same distance.

When Nashiko and her gang turned around to see who it was, they became surprised. It was two ninjas who were at the same age as Guy. The first one was a blue-eyed and blonde-haired konuichi who had her hair tied into two pigtails. She was dressed in pink clothes and wore a headband at her forehead. Most of these pink clothes resembled a typical kimono, but it was different. The second was a shinobi who wore a black headband around his left arm. He was black-skinned, had brown-eyes and had his hair formed into long dreadlocks. Most of his clothes were light green, but also yellow. While they were also Leaf Village shinobi, they were also new faces for Nashiko and the others. Guy smiled as they came into the picture.

"Oh, you're here, my teammates! What took you so long, huh?" Guy asked cheerfully, but he was soon given a punch by the blonde-haired girl. Guy was then sent flying towards the wall. The other genins watched this commotion dumbfounded.

"You were supposed to meet us at the spot we agreed on! But you rather went out to practise those stupid attacks of yours!" she stated irritably. Her black skinned teammate was just giving him an annoying glance.

"Are you his teammates?" Shunsuke asked them all of a sudden.

The blonde-haired girl smiled. "That's right! My name is Kimiko Inoue, pleased to meet you!" she aid cheerfully while reaching her hands towards Shunsuke, who greeted back. Her teammates merely grumbled while closing his eyes.

Kimiko gave him a disapproving look on her face. "C'mon! Why the cold attitude? You must introduce yourself to them!" she demanded while punching on him. The strange individual sighed in annoyance, but he reluctantly eyed Shunsuke and Nashiko when introducing himself.

"The name's Hisoka. Hisoka Sado. That would be enough for you two to understand, wouldn't you agree?" he suddenly asked the confused pair, but he was also punched by Kimiko for acting like a selfish asshole. He flew towards the wall and landed on the unconscious body of Guy.

"The hell's your problem, stupid hoe!?" Hisoka asked angrily while eyeing his sassy teammate with fiery eyes.

Kimiko grabbed her two teammates and took a last glance at Nashiko and her friends before leaving the alley.

"I'm sorry to if my teammates became nuisances to you! They lack both manners and normal personalities. We will see you around some time! Bye!" she said happily and she took off to the main streets of the village.

Nashiko and the others watched the blonde-haired konuichi carrying her teammates while running. Perhaps they had seen enough for today that it was best to head home. Furthermore, they noticed that it was getting late. So it was time to enjoy the Saturday night.

* * *

_Inuzuka-Hyuuga household, Leaf Village, next morning _

Next Sunday morning in the Hyuuga mansion, Takeshi was awakening from his sweet dreams in his bedroom. His dog partner Arata was sleeping on his bed. He was a small orange-furred dog. It was one rough night he had yesterday. He didn't tag along with his twin sister to the Battle Alley. No, he had other important manages to attend to, like taking long walks with Arata. Besides, the only thing Manami wanted to do was to flirt with that jackass Itachi. Takeshi still couldn't understand why his sister was so interested in a selfish asshole like him. But he also knew his twin brother was a much nicer person compared to him.

"Well Arata, let's get moving, shall we?" he asked his dog partner and he barked in agreement.

But as he just went out of his bedroom, he could hear his mother sobbing in the kitchen. Knowing that something was plaguing his mom, Takeshi ran quickly in order to see to her. Hopefully he would manage to calm down his mother, for this wasn't the first time his mother had been crying in the morning.

When he finally got to the living room, he could see Manami and her black-furred dog partner Riko comforting Hinata, who was now sitting on the sofa while holding her hands all over her face. She was now in a very sad mood.

"Mom, please. Don't cry" Manami said sadly while putting her hands on Hinata's lap. Riko sat close to Hinata and tried to ease her sadness by nudging his fluffy fur into her.

"What's going on here? Why is mom so sad?" he wanted an answer from his twin sister.

Manami turned her disapproving glare towards him. "You know very well what's happened here! Dad hasn't come home yet!" she told his twin brother while eyeing him.

Takeshi waved out his arms. "Well, he is probably still busy at work! Don't forget that dad is working hard in order to support our family!" Takeshi hit back.

Manami gritted her teeth in anger. No, you idiot! He isn't working! Yesterday, he left for the bar once again without notifying mom! That bastard is probably boozing himself again!" she angrily exclaimed while approaching her twin brother face to face.

"Don't give me that bullcrap, Manami! Dad is just socializing with his buddies! Just you wait and see!" Takeshi defended his father while lashing against his sister.

"My God you're such a smartass, Takeshi! You may be that but you're still nothing but a…" before Manami could continue her verbally attack on Takeshi, Hinata stood in the middle and shoved her children to each side. She eyed them with sad, but determined eyes. The twins became confused. Akara and Riko watched the whole scene with concern on their looks.

"Don't start arguing amongst yourselves! It will only divide our precious family further. I only hope your father is doing okay" she stated while wiping out the tears from her eyes.

Manami observed her mother before answering in her neutral mood. "I hope so, mom. But he may be too drunk to even walk home on his own feet" she said calmly. Takeshi shrugged at her remark.

Before Hinata and her children knew it the door opened and her husband came in. Unfortunately was completely unstable and too drunk to even walk normally. But with the assistance of his dog partner Akamaru, he found his way home. As he went into the living room, Hinata became shocked and hugging him tightly. While Takeshi gave him a neutral expression, Manami was filled with rage over his father's condition.

"Kiba, you're back!" Hinata exclaimed sadly while hugging him. Kiba did not necessarily return the hug.

"Hey there…family, how…are you today?" he asked them in his complete messed up state. Hinata loosened her grip on Kiba and stood a few meters from him while crossing her arms.

"Honey, why do you always have to drink during late nights? Every one of us has been worried about you!" Hinata asked him with despair in her voice.

Kiba shrugged before answering. "Damn it, I deserve some….booze! Working in the shinobi guards all day is one hell of a stress! So you…better show some respect for my…way of socializing!" he spoke in a drunken rage. The brown-haired adult with a goatee on his chin could barley steer himself at his state.

Hinata was not convinced by his answer. "Kiba, everyone including myself is grateful for your support to our family, but you don't spend much time with us! Will you please just act like a real father for once?" Hinata asked again while demanding an answer from him.

Kiba didn't like the way Hinata was standing up against him, so he approached her slowly and was about to give her a slap, until his daughter stood in front of him with her hardened fists at her sides. Manami glared at her father angrily, but Kiba was not necessarily intimidated by his twin daughter.

"What's going on here? Get out of the way, you brat!" Kiba angrily demanded his daughter to step aside, but she refused. She stood her ground while refusing him passage.

"Over my dead body would I take orders from an envious alcoholic like YOU" Mamani stated angrily, enraging his drunken father. Hinata became concerned for her daughter's self being.

"I SAID GET YOUR BITCHY ASS OUT OF" before Kiba could continue to attack her daughter, Takeshi firmly grabbed his right hand. He closed his eyes while sighing deeply. Kiba was outraged by this sudden event, but he stopped being aggressive. Both Manami and her mother watched the interactions between them with curious eyes.

"Father, you must be very tired after all the work you've done. Why don't you take a rest? We won't stop you from doing so" he asked his father while eyeing him in a normal glance which seemed to make an impression on Kiba.

After a few moments of silence, Kiba sighed in frustration. "Very well, I will take a rest. But I won't be doing that for long. I am finally done with my shift, so that means a plenty of times to get some rest" Kiba spoke up lowly and he slowly managed to walk to his and Hinata's bedroom.

Once he was finally asleep, Hinata and her twins sat around the living room to discuss his recent behaviour.

"Dad may be repulsive and short-tempered, but I'm glad he listens to reason, especially when he reeks of alcohol" Takeshi remarked.

"Mom, why don't you file a divorce? He doesn't even treat you as a wife anymore!" Manami asked her mother, but she stroked her hand around the brown-haired girl's forehead.

"I know that you all think your father is completely out of touch with us and I agree. But you two don't know him better than I do and I know he has been struggling a lot since we got married and became a family" Hinata told her children.

Manami merely sighed. "I don't know mom. But sometimes, I don't consider him to be my father. He is always acting so reckless and miserable. Every time I talk to him, it's like talking to a stranger" Manami explained with a hint of bitterness in her voice. Hinata put her hands on Manami's shoulder.

"Don't ever say that, Manami! He is your REAL father! Don't try to deny that fact!" Hinata told her daughter while encouraging her to be patient. Manami turned her gaze towards her towards a ground before eyeing her mother.

"Well, I and Arata will go out for a walk. We better open a window here, the living room reeks of alcohol" Takeshi stated while complaining about the stench.

"It stinks here because our so-called father was drunk as a sailor!" she snapped while rebuking her twin brother. Despite this, Takeshi left the living room with Arata tagging along. When the long-haired boy was finally out of the picture, Manami could be heard muttering a word against him. "Smartass" she said while crossing her arms.

Hinata went into the kitchen leaving only Manami and her dog partner in the living room. The brown-haired konuichi knew better than to ask her mother about Takeshi's attitude.

* * *

_Later at the Uchiha-Yamanaka household, Leaf Village _

In their house, Sasuke and Ino had now a private conversation with their old friends Naruto and Sakura. In fact, both they used to be bitter rivals against each other during their younger years. Perhaps the most serious rivalry was between Naruto and Sasuke, who were both considered to be among the strongest ninjas from the Leaf. But now that they were grown-up, the old friends had moved on from their rivalries and into family life.

In the kitchen, Naruto began asking his stupid question about Sasuke's current lifestyle. And it was annoying as always.

"So tell me Sasuke, when was the last time you trained? I bet working in the shadows must have prevented you from doing so!" Naruto tried to make fun of Sasuke. The raven-haired man was not impressed and neither were his wife or Sakura.

"You still haven't changed, Naruto! You are still the same perverted and idiotic dumbass like you've always been!" Sasuke hit back at the blonde-haired man with a goatee on his chin. Naruto glared at Sasuke for that remark. But Sakura knocked his head in order to cut this ridiculous bickering.

"Now as I was saying, we have come here to talk about the recent confrontation between Itachi and Nashiko. We want to know a little bit more about your son's abilities" Sakura stated while observing Ino.

"Sakura I'm terribly sorry for what happened, but Itachi has promised me he won't do it again. You don't have to analyze my son just because of a small altercation!" Ino explained to Sakura, but she was not giving up.

"Ino, I'm not gonna say this one more time! Your son had been using dangerous fire jutsus against Nashiko and Ochinko! Such reckless moves are strictly forbidden in the village, unless it's an invasion!" Sakura lashed while glaring at her former rival.

"So if he has been using dangerous fire jutsus, it's what duels are for. You test your abilities! You're just acting all overzealous and overprotective over your daughter! She possesses much as destructive tricks as Itachi!" Ino hit back at Sakura and the two women glared at each other with fiery eyes. Naruto and Sasuke just sighed in annoyance.

"Are you two bickering against each other because of something stupid as that? How humiliating" Sasuke said while grumbling onto himself.

"Sakura, can't you seriously cool down? I mean, you get pissed off in nearly every conversation you engage in" Naruto tried to calm down his wife, but Sakura angrily gave him a death glare and which could be read as: what did you say!? So Naruto decided to shut his ass up. The pink-haired woman returned her glare towards Ino.

"I'm warning you, Ino! If he even so much as touches her inappropriately, I won't stand for it!" she warned her blonde-haired rival, but Ino merely scoffed.

"How dare you come and threaten my family like that!? You better watch what you are saying, billboard brow!" she retorted by calling Sakura her usual nickname. Sakura twitched.

"Don't tell me what to do! You better control that spoiled and selfish brat of yours, Ino-pig!" Sakura hit back while insulting her son. Ino became furious, while Sasuke was yawning in boredom about their conflict. Naruto was watching the altercation with an awkward look on his face.

"Just to be clear: I'm not a spoiled and selfish brat!" a new voice suddenly appeared in the kitchen, causing an end to the altercation between Sakura and Ino. Once they looked at the entrance of the kitchen, they could see Itachi standing there with his arms crossed. Even tough his father was sitting there his gaze was mostly fixed upon Naruto and Sakura. Ino became surprised while Sasuke watched his son unenthusiastic.

"Itachi, how long have you been standing there?" Ino asked her son in a motherly manner.

"Long enough to hear this mental retard bragging about a ridiculous case!" he answered sternly while eyeing Naruto and his wife. They stared at him outrageous for such remark while Sasuke secretly mused to himself. To think his own son was such a dick towards Naruto.

"Hey! Who's the retard among us? I'm not retarded!" Naruto wanted an answer from the black-haired boy.

Itachi sighed before answering. "I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to that whiney, short-tempered bitch beside you!" Itachi told while pointing towards Sakura. She became absolutely furious about his foul language. Naruto became shocked.

"Itachi, mind your manners! Don't say such words in front of visitors!" Ino tried to calm down her son who merely nodded simply.

"If you have listened to us, then you must have realized what we were talking about, right? About your recent aggression against" before a stern Sakura could explain further, Itachi interrupted her.

"Look! What's done is done, okay!? I'm sorry I attacked Nashiko and Ochinko! I swear I won't do it again, unless they continue to annoy me or talk trash about mom!" he stated while with a falsely, politely voice apologised. Ino smiled at that and Naruto did too. Sakura on the other hand was left with a neutral expression on her face.

"This visit is over. Come, Naruto! Let's go home!" she suddenly said lowly and both she and Naruto went out of the kitchen and eventually out of the house. Once gone, only Itachi and his parents were the only persons in the kitchen. Ino sighed in frustration.

"Stupid forehead-slut always has to be so strict against us! I mean, how she would have liked if I called Nashiko a spoiled brat!?" Ino asked while muttering. Itachi went close to his mother's side and put her right hand on her left shoulder. Ino noticed this and stroked her son's forehead.

"Well, I better get some sleep! It won't be long until I'm required back in the fields again" Sasuke said, but Ino grabbed his left arm.

"Wait, sweetie! You haven't forgotten about…you know" Ino asked her husband teasingly, making Sasuke sigh sarcastically.

"Of course, but shouldn't we wait until the boys have gone to bed?" Sasuke asked his wife. Ino laughed silly.

"That's right! But how about we prepare for something…fun?" Ino asked him again, this time putting her left palm on his chest. Sasuke smirked.

"Sure baby, just be patient! Well, Itachi see you some time! And when I come back, don't be such a disappointment to me! And fight your enemies with great strength!" he sarcastically said to Itachi and went up to his and Ino's bedroom.

Itachi merely stared at his father emotionless and decided to go back to his bedroom. He wondered briefly about how Nashiko was doing, given her strong-willed attitude. But he brushed it off, knowing that a girl like her was too grown up to take care of herself.

* * *

**Author's note: That was the last part of An Ambitious Weekend. We featured some new and original characters today (Kimiko Inoue and Hisoka Sado). Trust me, they may have the same surnames as characters from Bleach, but they have completely different personalities and roles. We also saw some hefty family issues in Manami and Takeshi's family. Just to be clear, Kiba will become an important character in this story, as will all the other grown ups in the story. The next story will probably take place at the Ninja Academy. It will be a big day for everyone, including Nashiko. **


	7. Today's the Day!

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me. **

* * *

**Chapter 7: Today's the Day!**

_In the Uzumaki household, Leaf Village_

Nashiko had just woken up from her bed and was heading towards her calendar. She smiled. Today they were finally allowed to use the forehead protectors. These items were very vital to every shinboi. Her forehead protector was carrying the symbol of the Leaf Village, the same symbol she had watched various shinobis bearing with. It represented every aspiring ninjas of the society. Today, she was finally going to become a real ninja! When choosing clothes, Nashiko decided to use the same thin, red jumpsuit which was very comfortable in her taste. She wondered how the others were feeling today. They were probably as much as excited as her, when it came to entering the world of ninjas.

Her door suddenly opened and in came Naruto along with Jiro. They both wanted to observe how much she had grown. Naruto gave her his usually goofy grin.

"Well somebody's excited today! I can't believe I'm seeing this! My own daughter going to become a grown-up ninja" Naruto remarked while tapping on Nashiko's left shoulder. The young pink-haired girl blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't speak to me as I'm five, dad! I can take care of myself, you know!" she stated while face palming at her father.

"Hey big sis, why is your forehead protector on the top of your head?" Jiro asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Oh, it's because I think it really suits me that way! Having it tied around the forehead makes me look silly!" she stated while being confident about her way of using it.

Naruto chuckled at Nashiko. "You are just beginning to resemble your mom! Not that you have the same personality or anything, but you get what I'm saying" he remarked while trying not to offend her daughter with comparisons to his wife.

Nashiko smiled sweetly. "Well I better eat and then I'm off! Today's gonna be so awesome!" she exclaimed, much to the amusement of her father and younger brother.

"Mom has warmed up some delicious ramen for breakfast! You know, since it's practically your day today!" Jiro stated, causing her sister to jump up in excitement.

"Oh boy, am I happy today?" she asked out loud while hugging her blonde-haired younger brother and his father at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah, calm down, Nashiko! Let's eat breakfast! I'm looking forward to eating ramen!" he stated with happiness, much to his children's embarrassment. Naruto was known to overact at specific subjects, especially when it came to…you know, ramen.

After eating breakfast, Nashiko left home immediately. Her parents and Jiro could barely bid her farewell, due to Nashiko being so keen on this day.

* * *

_At the Ninja Academy, 4 minutes later_

Nashiko had finally reached her classroom and went inside. In the classroom, lots of aspiring ninjas were sitting on their desks waiting to know their teams. This was a special day for everyone, not just Nashiko.

She sat on her seat beside Ochinko, who had his forehead protector attached to his forehead. He was acting calm and awkwardly as usual. However, he was always open to a little chat with a kind and gentle classmate such as Nashiko.

"Who do you think you will end up with?" Ochinko asked her all of a sudden.

She smiled sweetly before answering. "I don't know perhaps if by coincidence, you and I get stuck on the same team!" she said with laughter in her voice. Ochinko could not help but to chuckle at her.

"Well, perhaps I will end up with you or Manami. You never know when" he remarked while coming up with his guesses. Truth is Ochinko was much as excited for today as the pink-haired girl was.

At Manami and Takeshi's seats, they were conversing with each other about who they would be teamed up with. In addition, they had also put on their forehead protectors on their foreheads. They had brought their dogs with them as well. Both Riko and Arata listened to their conversation with curiosity.

"So let me guess who you want to end up with. Is it with ITACHI, HUH?" Takeshi asked while taunting his twin sister. Manami merely scoffed at him.

"Shove off! Who ever said of me wanting to be on the same team as him anyway!?" she lashed back against her brother, who continued teasing her. "Besides, you are just afraid of ending up on the same team as OCHINKO, RIGHT?" she taunted back.

"Tch, like you know which people I connect to most! I only connect to Arata, well not counting you of course!" he stated while slumping at the end of his sentence. Takeshi had difficulties in bonding with other students of the Academy. His twin sister was the only person he ever communicated with.

Shikio sat beside Cheika who was to some of their classmates' annoyance, eating potato chips. But Shikio kept his cool and studied the various students sitting in the classroom. His eyes were fixed upon those he knew most, from Nashiko to Itachi. He was in deep thought. His forehead protector was attacked to his left arm while Cheika to everyone's surprise had hers attached to her stomach.

"Hey Shikio, are you looking forward to this?" Cheika asked while munching on her chips.

Shikio yawned before answering. "Nah I don't know, Cheika. The big question is: will I survive this one big drag?" he asked sarcastically while face palming. Cheika ignored his expression and smiled.

"Well it's a start! I'm particularly excited for this!" she exclaimed while swallowing the chips in her throat.

At the Uchiha-twins' seat, both Itachi and Shunsuke were curious about the teams. They both had their forehead protectors attached to their foreheads. Additionally, Itachi had tied his long hair into a ponytail, which was smaller than the one his mother had. Truthfully, it resembled more that of his deceased uncle's.

"Brother! Do you think that if we are separated into different teams, we will face off each other one day?" Shunsuke asked his twin brother, who watched him with a surprised look on his face. Eventually, that surprised look turned into a confidential smirk.

"I'm afraid so, Shunsuke. But remember, once we join into these groups, we will begin training in order to become stronger. After this, then we can see which of us will win in a fight" he said lowly while eyeing his brother.

Although Shunsuke widened at his answer at first, he sucked it up and was full of confidence. "Oh I will prove to you I'm strong! I've always lingered under your shadow, but this time, I will reach the top!" he said confidentially much to his twin brother's amusement.

Saburou was sitting on his seat in silence. Since he was not much of a converser, he was in deep thought about what was about to happen. He stroked his blonde hair while adjusting his sunglasses. He was also carrying his forehead protector. As the observed the classroom and played with some small bugs beside his fingers, Saburou knew that this was very new to him.

"I can feel this new power glowing in me, but I don't know what it is. Could it be the power of starting something new? Most likely! I will have to like into this after today" he thought while sitting on his seat in silence.

Suddenly Iruka came in, holding a list in his left hand. He eyed his students with a smile on his face. At first, he expressed how deeply proud he was for doing this. And then he spoke about the various things on the teams, including the jounins. Every team would always have a jounin as a team leader and instructor. He or she would guide their students to become a strong and honourable ninja. Iruka also encouraged the students to be strong will going through the teamwork phase.

Since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, every hidden villages of the world had expressed deeper cooperation amongst each other. It was no longer distrust and power that was in their interests. The only person to convince such, was none other than Nashiko's own father. But right now, Iruka read the different teams up ranging from numbers.

"Alright, time to read up the members of Team 8! The three members of this team are:

Nashiko Uzumaki

Takeshi Inuzuka

Shunsuke Uchiha

You three are hereby declared as members of Team 8!" Iruka declared.

"Wow! I'm partnered up with Takeshi and Shunsuke? I'm impressed!" Nashiko thought while eyeing her forthcoming teammates. Shunsuke watched her and waved his hand while smiling.

Takeshi was face palming on his seat. "Oh man! I'm stuck with the trouble maker? I mean, Nashiko is so dim-witted! Shunsuke on the other hand, I don't know what to say, but its better getting teamed up with him than his twin brother" he slumped while taking a brief glance at the serious-looking Uchiha.

"Now let's move on to Team 9! The three members of Team 9 are:

Ochinko Nakano

Manami Inuzuka

Saburou Aburame

You three are hereby members of Team 9!" Iruka declared while he red up their names.

"WHAT THE HELL? I get placed on the same team as Ochinko and Saburou!? This is an outrage! They both act like they just came out of the closet! How will this end, Riko?" she though to herself while petting Riko. Takeshi could be heard laughing at her.

"Well, this was unexpected. But I gladly accept them as team members" Ochinko stated while smiling. He turned around to wave at Saburou as a support for the team. To his surprise, Saburou waved back at him in a friendly manner.

"I have to admit, I've always been a little bit interested in Ochinko and his abilities. So I take my chances and see where this team will lead me to. But I'm afraid I won't be getting along with a hothead like Manami though" Saburou stated in his head.

"Next up is Team 10! The three members of Team 10 are:

Shikio Nara

Cheika Akimichi

Itachi Uchiha

You three are hereby declared as members of Team 10!" Iruka declared once again.

"What a surprise! We're on the same team, Shikio!" Cheika exclaimed while eyeing her friend right next to her. However, he was not listening to what he said. He was just in his own world.

"It's bad enough that I'm stuck with Cheika but….we're also stuck with Itachi! THE Itachi Uchiha! The meanest, toughest and coldest ninja I've ever seen! Wow! I guess this is my lucky day!" Shikio mused and he turned his gaze to Itachi. He gave the young Uchiha a smirk, but Itachi soon turned his head away. Shikio sighed at this.

"Well it will take some time to know him as a person" he said sarcastically.

* * *

_Outside the Ninja Academy, 6 minutes later_

When Iruka was finally done reading the papers, it was lunchtime and the students went outside to eat. They all wanted to sit with their new teammates in order to know them better. It was a good way of socializing.

Once Nashiko stood outside the Academy, Shunsuke approached her with his own food. The young pink-haired konuichi smiled at her newfound teammate.

"Hey Shunsuke, what's up?" she asked him. Shunsuke tried to compose himself before he could speak.

"Hey Nashiko….I was wondering….w-would you….like to eat lunch with me?" he asked timidly.

Nashiko smiled. "Sure! It will be very nice!" she said cheerfully. "By the way Shunsuke, have you seen Takeshi? I was wondering if he could join us for lunch" she asked while looking for their long-haired teammate. Shunsuke was also noticing that he was here.

"I don't know! He doesn't have any much contact with us, including myself" he answered. Nashiko's face was changed into concern. She wanted to know why Takeshi wasn't interested in joining them for lunch.

What they didn't know was that Takeshi was eating his lunch on a tree along with Arata. The tree was located outside the Academy. While sitting among the leaves, Takeshi munched on a salty rice ball. His dog partner was enjoying himself with dog biscuits.

"Aren't you two the lovely turtledoves, eh? I mean, Shunsuke here must be totally in love with you, Nashiko!" Takeshi asked sarcastically. His voice was loud enough to attract his teammates' attentions. Shunsuke's cheeks reddened while Nashiko flipped out in anger.

"I-I have n-no idea what you're talking about. I'm not in love" Shunsuke said while trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

"Takeshi, what the heck are you doing up there!? And don't call me a turtledove!" Nashiko asked while angered about his teasing. Takeshi smirked.

"Calm the freak down, you cherry bomb! Can't you even take a joke? And as for your question, I'm eating lunch here! It's just me and Arata up in the tree!" the long haired boy said said.

"But why are doing that? Don't you wanna come down and eat with us?" Shunsuke asked curiously.

"Nah, I rather eat up here! I might be a Hyuuga, but I am also an Inuzuka! And Inuzukas never complain were they are eating! Right, Arata?" Takeshi asked his dog partner who barked in agreement.

Shunsuke decided to climb up the tree and see if his white-eyed teammate would appreciate company. He sat on a branch close to the one Takeshi and Arata were sitting on. Shunsuke smiled at his confused friend.

"Well, every human is different. I have to accept that. I might be an Uchiha, but I'm also a Yamanaka! Perhaps we share something in common?" he chuckled at his teammate. Takeshi was eyeing the young short-haired Uchiha with wondering eyes.

"R-Right….I guess" the Hyuuga answered, still confused about what to say.

Suddenly Nashiko jumped up to a branch beside Shunsuke's. The young girl was at first confused about eating here. But she eventually admitted that it sounded like a little bit of fun. Shunsuke smiled at her while Takeshi merely watched her unenthusiastic. Nashiko noticed this and became irritated.

"Hey! What's that look suppose to mean!?" Nashiko asked him while crossing her arms.

"What do you mean by that? I'm just tired, nothing else!" Takeshi answered while yawning.

"Hey I have an idea! How about we tell each other about our parents? I'm sure they all know each other, not to mention the fact they were fighting in the cataclysmic war many years ago!" Shunsuke suggested. While Nashiko approved of this, Takeshi did not, nor was he interested in it.

"I will begin! My dad's name is Naruto! He is very strong and will always protect me and my little brother against any who would do us harm. He is also known as the Toad Sage. In fact, my dad is one of the many candidates to the mantle of Hokage! I know he will achieve that title!" Nashiko explained to her teammates about her father with pride. "Now, what do you guys think?" she suddenly asked her teammates.

"What a lame title! I mean, Toad Sage? What family are you from, a bunch of toads?" Takeshi asked insultingly thus enraging the pink-haired kunoichi.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, JACKASS!?" she shouted hysterically with fiery eyes.

"Takeshi! That's not a nice thing to say!" Shunsuke scolded his friend's behaviour. Takeshi merely shrugged.

"Wow! What a team I've been put into! I wonder how the others are doing" he thought while staring at his short-tempered friend in amusement.

* * *

_At the Nara household_

Shikio had decided to introduce his new teammates to his parents. During lunchtime, students were allowed to eat home if they wanted to. So he thought eating there was most suitable for his trio. While Cheika was more than happy to oblige, Itachi took an issue with this. But with enough convincing and taunting, the young Uchiha followed him. Now it was too see how his parents would react at this.

"Mom, dad, these are my newly inducted teammates: Cheika Akimichi and Itachi Uchiha!" he introduced them to his parents. "I've been paired up with the cheerful one and the miserable one!" he added with sarcasm.

"Hi there Mr and Mrs Nara, nice to meet you" Cheika said cheerfully while waving her hand.

"What's up?" Itachi stated flatly without giving much of an eye contact.

Both Shikamaru and Temari eyed their son's teammates with surprise. For Shikamaru it was a really big surprise that Shikio was paired up his best friend's daughter. It felt like he had seen something like this in the past. In the past, Shikamaru and Cheika's father Chouji was friends bound together by honour. But the most wary part for both parents was Shikio's other teammate: Itachi. True, he was one of Ino's sons, but his father was none other than Sasuke Uchiha himself. The memories of the past came back to Temari and her husband. They had once been enemies in the past until Sasuke decided to protect the Leaf Village's legacy. However the relationship between Shikamaru and Sasuke was somewhat icy. Still, he tolerated his appearance due to his marriage to Ino.

"Hey there little miss! You're Chouji's girl, right?" Shikamaru asked her while patting her head. She smiled gleefully.

"Yes I am! But….how do you know my dad?" Cheika asked.

"Well, it's a long story, but I know your father, actually" Shikamaru shrugged while scratching behind his neck.

"In fact, you do remind us of him" Temari added, causing the young chubby girl to blush.

"Oh….I take that as a…..compliment" Cheika was out of words.

Shikio's parents suddenly eyed Itachi, who was still against the wall. While surprised at the young boy's lack of manners, they brushed it off. He could at least communicate with others.

"So you're one of Ino's punks, huh? Wow! Judging by your face, you remind me of your father!" Shikamaru remarked while studying Itachi's appearance. The young boy began staring at him widened and offended at the same time.

"Shikio told you have a twin brother. What's his name?" Temari asked, trying to be nice as possible. Itachi glared toward the dark blonde-haired woman.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Itachi asked while glaring. The grown-ups became outraged by his manner.

"Itachi, behave yourself!" Cheika stated while nudging against him. Shikio sighed in annoyance.

"So he even acts like a jerk towards grown-ups as well? This is such a drag! How will he behave towards our jounin once we meet him?" Shikio asked in his head while watching his cold teammate with rolling eyes.

* * *

_At the Hyuuga household_

Manami and her teammates were eating lunch together at her home. Of course, it was the Hyuuga mansion, so the boys were a little bit intrigued about the Hyuuga clan in general. When they had arrived in the house it seemed empty in general. Her mother was probably out on important affairs related to her fellow clansmen.

While eating lunch in her bedroom, Manami and her teammates were engaging in a conversation regarding upcoming events, including their function as a team. Riko was listening while lying beside his owner.

"Okay boys! Since we are on the same team, you better follow my lead! That is the only way in order to survive!" Manami declared. Saburou was giving her an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you think before saying something reckless as that? If its one thing me and Ochinko don't need is your useless, short-tempered personality!" Saburou pointed out to her. Manami glared at the bug-user.

"Really, if you're so smart then why don't you come up with ideas, Mr. Calculator-pants?" Manami asked him annoyed. Ochinko stood in the middle of his bickering teammates.

"Don't start bickering with each other, my friends! As teammates we should be supporting each other, not the opposite" he said with reason.

"I AM supporting you as a teammate, Ochinko! Unfortunately, Saburou doesn't!" Manami exclaimed while eyeing her blonde-haired teammate.

"Well I think not, Manami! Obviously you are just focused on your own strength, rather than teamwork" Saburou said sternly, much to the brown-haired kunoichi's anger.

"I AM NOT!" Manami shouted furiously.

"Shut the hell up before I come and beat you until you're peeing on yourself!" the angry and loud voice of Manami's father could be heard from his bedroom. Manami stopped while listening to her father's angry tone. She sighed irritated.

"Who was that? Was that….your father?" Ochinko asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Manami merely stared at the ground. She was not happy. Riko climbed up to her lap while giving her a sad look.

"It's alright, Manami! You don't have to answer if you don't want to" Ochinko tried to lift her spirits.

Saburou sighed while adjusting his sunglasses. He and Ochinko gave Manami sympathetic looks on their faces. Usually Saburou wouldn't express any remorse towards others, but in the case with Manami he was obliged to. In fact, he was the only one of his teammates who knew that his father Shino Aburame was a teammate of Manami's parents. Shino had told his son about the problems Kiba faced once he got married to Hinata. But Saburou didn't want to bring up that subject to his teammates, especially in front of Manami. On another thought, he mused about the fact that he was put on the same team as her. Perhaps they could be close friends and allies like their fathers were.

* * *

**Author's note: That was chapter 7! I hope you didn't mind the teams I made for each of the characters! Like I told you, this is not canon. Writing this story is exciting indeed. I admit I'm not good in describing appearances and how each person looks like. However, I will leave the imagining to you readers! Hope you enjoyed this!**


	8. Meet Your Sensei!

**Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me. **

* * *

**Chapter 8: Meet Your Sensei!**

_Hokage building, Leaf Village_

In the giant building close to the Hokage Monument, a large gathering of jounins and other associates of the Leaf Village took place in the Hokage's office. The current Hokage Tsunade still looked like the same due to her abilities. But in the last few years, the old woman's health had become troubled somehow. But she was not giving up her duties yet. The people would need her, as she needed them.

As every chuunins and jounins had been gathered, Tsunade started this meeting with her assistant Shizune speaking up.

"Attention brothers and sisters of the Leaf! Lady Tsunade has arranged this meeting for the sole purpose of discussing upcoming events, including the chuunin exams" Shizune declared and the crowd began whispering to each other.

"Once again, the exams will be held here in the Leaf Village! However even tough we are all confident, we are all still wary about arranging an event like this!" Shizune continued explaining.

"Lady Hokage! What do you have to say about this?" a jounin asked the old, but young looking lady.

"As much as I'm delighted about the event, we must not let our guard down! The previous time the Leaf was hosting the chuunin exams many years ago resulted in chaos. And by that I mean the loss of ninjas with bright futures ahead of them, as well as our dear Third Hokage: Hiruzen Saurtobi" Tsunade stated bitterly at the mentioning of her deceased sensei. Every shinobi in the room felt the same pain and sadness as their leader did.

"Lady Hokage! I suggest we keep a better watch for anything suspicious: both inside and outside the village! We can't let the same mistakes be repeated! During that time, we where all caught off guard by the Sand Village's hidden alliance with Orochimaru! Speaking of which, nobody has seen him for many years!" another jounin spoke up.

"Yeah, even our top secret spies who are dispatched through the world have not even found any traces of him. I don't mean to jump into conclusions Lady Hokage, but I think Orochimaru doesn't even walk amongst us anymore! Obviously he has died" an ANBU spy stated while bowing his head in respect towards Tsunade.

The old woman closed her eyes and sat on her chair in silence. She admitted that she had always wondered about the whereabouts of her old teammate and fellow Sannin. Ever since their brief alliance during the Fourth Shinobi World War, her reunion with Orochimaru was like a sting in her heart. She was still furious and angry towards him, especially for what happened with their teammate Jirayia. On another note, she also wanted to believe Orochimaru had passed away of old age, but she knew it was impossible, considering the white-skinned man's twisted personality.

"I don't know what the correct answer is, ANBU. But I will still believe in that Orochimaru is dead. For now" she answered silently.

"Lady Tsunade. Is there something troubling you? We would all be glad to hear them from your heart" Shizune asked with concern in her voice. Tsunade sighed before answering.

"It's just….I'm beginning to grow old. Perhaps it's time I finally laid down the mantle of Hokage to someone else" the old woman answered while eyeing down at the table.

"W-Wait Lady Hokage, now it's not the time for you to step down! The chuunin exams will soon be upon us and…." Before the jounin could protest, he was interrupted by Tsunade.

"I know that! However, what the rest of you don't know is that I've already prepared my successor. And I believe he is the man most suitable for the job!" Tsunade declared. Every attendant in the hall became surprised.

"Well, who is it? Who will gain the mantle of Hokage? Is it Konohamaru Sarutobi? Or perhaps Kiba Inuzuka! They have always expressed their" before the shinobi could continue, he was interrupted by Shizune.

"I'm afraid it's not! We are talking about a hero who spent his life building up his reputation, from a troublemaker to a wise leader!" Shizune stated with pride.

"You are right Shizune! He also showed me the light in our people's greatest crisis. Then I want you all to proudly accept my successor: Naruto Uzumaki as the Sixth Hokage!" Tsunade declared and out of nowhere, Naruto appeared in beside the old woman. He was giving the attendants his cocky smile as usual.

"Hello there! How you're doing?" Naruto asked cheerfully, much to the amusement of the jounins.

"Listen carefully! I won't step down just yet! But should the time come when my life is needed most, then I will entrust the future of the Leaf Village to Naruto! That is my final decision!" Tsunade stated while smiling at Naruto.

"I will gladly take up your request, Granny. But right now, you must focus on the chuunin exams. Remember I will be assisting you with the organizing of the event along with Shizune!" Naruto stated while giving his thumb to Tsunade. The old lady smirked at her protégé.

Now it was time for the second phase of this meeting. It was namely to name out the jounins for the new teams. Of course it was a very excited event for most of the adults, considering that they were entering into a new chapter of being a shinobi. Naruto of course was watching the event from the sidelines. Tsunade was reading up their names for each team.

"For Team 8, I would like their leader to be: Mamuro Umino. Will you please step forward?" Tsunade suddenly said.

A young man in a jounin outfit appeared before the Hokage. He was a lightly brown-skinned man with lightly brown hair. His hair had been tied into a ponytail and its shape was different than that of his father. He was also noticeable for a small scar running across his nose, although it was not as big as his father's. This man was Mamuro Umino, son of Iruka.

"Yes milady! At your service!" he said while bowing his head in respect.

"You are now entrusted with guiding these young students. Take a look at them!" Tsunade stated.

Mamuro stared towards the different pictures belonging to his students. He was very curious and uncertain at first, but his face was soon formed into a cheerful smile. He chuckled at their faces.

"Well what do you know? Looks like I get to be in charge of Miss Troublemaker in class!" Mamuro remarked while eyeing the young pinkette. He also studied Shunsuke and Takeshi and thought about them as well. "So that's Shunsuke Uchiha? Interesting! He doesn't have the same resemblance as his twin brother, or his father to be more exact. And about Takeshi Inuzuka, I can't say I have much knowledge about him" he further explained to the Hokage.

"I'm glad you're up to the challenge, Mamuro!" Tsunade complimented him.

"Eh…I am just trying to…you know…doing my job! It's in my blood, just like what pa said!" Mamuro replied, although with uncertainty in his voice.

After given enough information, it was team for the next jounin.

"The leader of Team 9 will be: Kazue Shimizu! Will you please step forward?" Tsunade asked.

A young adult kunoichi approached before the Hokage. She had long white hair and her skin was pale white. However, she was not sick or anything. The kunoichi was dressed in white and blue clothes. Unlike most jounins, she didn't necessarily wear a shinobi vest. Rather, she wore a blue and white jacket resembling a winter jacket. She approached the Hokage and nodded her head in silence.

"I am ready, Lady Tsunade!" she said win her calm voice.

"Glad to hear it, Kazue! Now you want to take a look at your students. They have different abilities but they are still fit enough to become shinobis" Tsunade remarked with a chuckle.

The young woman smiled in return and studied the pictures of her students for a brief time. She was silent while doing it, but eventually she spoke with a warm voice.

"I will gladly take these children in as my students!" Kazue said and she returned to her seat.

Now it was time for the next jounin and this was a special one. Tsunade read up the papers.

"And now for Team 10, I hereby declare their leader to be: Ayumu Sarutobi! Will you please step forward?" she said.

A young man with spiky black hair approached Tsunade's table. She was noted for his light skin, but his eye pupils were completely red. He was also smoking, although not in front of the Hokage. Yet despite this man's unusual appearance, he was a cheerful and open-minded fellow. Truth is he was actually a grandson of the late Third Hokage. As he stood by Tsunade's table, his previously serious face was formed into a smile.

"I'm right here, Lady Hokage! Now who's my students?" he asked while eyeing the old lady. Tsunade chuckled.

"I have to say Ayumu, you remind me of your father. Well except for your face, but here's your students" she stated while complimenting the young man's appearance. Ayumu smirked in return while studying his students.

"Tch, so I also get to stick with both a Nara and an Akimichi? I'm not surprised at all! I take much after my pop!" he exclaimed cheerfully while studying both Shikio and Cheika. But he fixed a cautious look on his face when he studied Itachi's picture. "And about…him, well…he does have a handsome face to be honest, but he also seems to have inherited his father's seriousness. I think the Yamanakas have produced one hell of a kid" he thought about Itachi.

Then it was all settled. These three jounins would become the teachers of these different genins, who would in time grow up and mature into fine shinobis or kunoichis. Tsunade was actually pleased with naming these jounins for those teams. She had both direct and indirect reasons for doing so. But she would have to speak with each of them individually. They would be given direct information about these students. In fact, Naruto wanted to personally speak with each of these jounins, considering the fact that he was their future Hokage.

* * *

_Next day, Ninja Academy_

Nashiko was very excited to know who was going to be her sensei. Yesterday, she had told her parents about her new teammates. Their reactions were pleasant of course. Naruto found it amusing that her won daughter was paired with one of his rival's sons. He also knew a little bit about Takeshi, who was a son from the girl who had a crush on him in the past. Sakura was also pleased about Nashiko's new teammates, although she was a little bit sceptical towards Shunsuke, who was Itachi's twin brother. However, her carefree husband urged her not to be so suspicious over someone related to her blonde-haired rival. When Jiro got word of her sister's teammates, he gave his support to her as usual.

"So my little princess is paired up with these two fellows eh? Show them what you're made of, Nashiko!" Naruto encouraged his daughter yesterday.

"Just try to be careful on your upcoming missions! And be on your guard when dealing with enemies!" Sakura had warned her daughter yesterday.

Shunsuke was also looking forward in meeting his sensei. When he had told his mom about his team, she became furious. Ino had encouraged him to train in order to surpass Nashiko as a shinobi, considering the fact that she was the daughter of her fiercest rival. But when Ino became aware of Itachi's teammate, she was surprised and amused at the same time. The hard-working but beautiful florist knew that one of her sons had to become partnered up with a Nara and an Akimichi. She was happy for Itachi. Although Sasuke didn't get to know which teammates his sons were partnered with, Shunsuke had sent him a letter where he explained all of this. Itachi on the other hand, refused to send any letters to his father.

"Shunsuke, you need to train in order to surpass Nashiko! I won't let you become less powerful than Billboard brow's daughter!" Ino urged her youngest twin son yesterday.

"Be nice to your new teammates, Itachi! In time you will come to see them as valuable friends, just as I saw mine!" Ino told her oldest twin son yesterday.

Takeshi was sitting on his seat in silence. He was in deep thought. Yesterday when he had explained to his parents about the team he was on, they were surprised. Hinata was happy for him, given the fact that he was on the same team as Nashiko, the daughter of her former crush. She had also expressed her support to Manami's team, especially since she was partnered with the son of her former teammate: Shino Aburame. While Takeshi's mother was supportive towards her children, his father expressed his misgivings. Kiba was displeased about his son being paired up with the spawns of Naruto and Sasuke.

"Don't tell me you got paired up with the daughter of that stupid loudmouth and the son of that stupid emo!" Kiba had said to his son yesterday.

It was even worse once he knew Manami's teammates.

"Saburou, who the hell's that!? Is he the mongrel child of Shino or something?" Kiba had asked Takeshi's twin sister yesterday, much to his wife's outrage.

As the trio began thinking about their parent's reactions to their teams, Nashiko was excited in meeting their sensei.

"Hey boys, how about we give our sensei one heck of a surprise, like pouring a bucket of cold water all over him?" Nashiko expressed her ideas. Shunsuke was outraged at this, while Takeshi sighed.

"Tch, suit yourself!" Takeshi said unenthusiastic.

"No Nashiko! Such behaviour is totally disrespectful!" Shunsuke voiced his opposition.

"C'mon Shunsuke, I assure you that my tricks are never meant to be disrespectful towards anyone! It's all about humour, you know" Nashiko answered her black-haired friend.

"Really Nashiko, well that's just lame in my opinion" Takeshi remarked, causing the pink-haired girl to angrily glare at him.

"You sure have a "nice" attitude, Takeshi! Don't you know what the word "fun" means?" Nashiko asked him.

"Nah, not really" Takeshi answered while Arata barked in agreement.

"By the way Takeshi, when was the last time you and that fur ball of yours took a shower? I mean, you both smell like tuna paste!" Nashiko exclaimed while holding her nose.

"Don't take that tone with me, princess! Arata and I take great pride in ourselves, unlike you who are just as naïve and clueless to know anything in the shinobi world!" Takeshi retorted back while Arata barked against her.

"Huh, at least I'm way more open towards people than you are fleabag!" Nashiko insulted him.

"Stop this bickering, you two! Spare your aggression for our enemies!" Shunsuke reasoned with his teammates. With a few minutes of thinking, Takeshi and Nashiko reluctantly agreed stopped.

"Hi! Are you kids from Team 8, if I'm not mistaking?" a young voice called to the three genins.

They all turned around to look at a young man entering the classroom. He wore a jounin vest and had his light brown hair tied into a ponytail. For some reason, this young man reminded him of someone.

"Ummm….who…are….you?" Nashiko asked confused. The young man chuckled.

"Hah! I thought you'd never ask! You see, I'm your sensei! But let's get to the names later you know what I'm saying?" he asked the three students and they nodded in agreement. "Well since it's a lovely day outside, why don't we sit outside? Don't you get tired of sitting here while listening to my pa speaking?" he added a question.

"Did he say pa? What does he mean by that? And where have I've seen this cheerful face before?" the three genins asked to themselves.

* * *

_Outside the Academy, in a park_

The young man had taken Team 8 to a park outside the Academy. It was now time to get to know each other. Nashiko and her teammates were just as curious about this man as he was curious about them.

"Well I think I will begin introducing myself! The name's Mamuro, Mamuro Umino!" he introduced himself, much to the surprise and shock of the three kids.

"Wait! Are you related to an old geezer called Iruka?" Nashiko asked widened.

"Yeah, he's my dad! I bet you kids didn't realize he had son, huh?" Mamuro asked, but the three kids stared at him widened.

"Wow! I never knew Iruka was a father!" Shunsuke thought.

"You gotta be kidding me! The old geezer has a son? That's freaking nuts!" Nashiko thought.

"So I get to be stuck with the son of my Academy-instructor? What kind of madness is this?" Takeshi asked in his head. Mamuro laughed while scratching his neck.

"Okay! How about I tell you a little bit about myself? As I've already told you my name's Mamuro and my hobbies are taking walks and exploring new fancy places! Truth is I'm a traveller!" he sarcastically remarked while chuckling to himself. "Now how about you kids tell me about yourselves?" Mamuro added with a question.

Well….my name is Nashiko Uzumaki. I'm twelve years old and my hobbies are: pulling pranks and eating delicious ramen!" Nashiko exclaimed with pride. Mamuro chuckled at her explanation.

"Right what is your goal, Nashiko?" the young man asked.

"My goal is…..uhhhh…..to become a strong kunoichi like my mom and surpass my parents as a ninja!" Nashiko said with confidence. Shunsuke timidly smiled at her, while Takeshi sighed in annoyance.

"My name is Shunsuke Uchihia! I'm twelve years old and my hobbies are: cultivating flowers and studying the nature" Shunsuke explained while trying to be open as possible.

"Well, do you have any goals, Shunsuke?" Mamuro asked him.

"Well…truth is….I don't have any large ambitions. But I…would like one day….to become strong….so I can defeat my brother in a duel!" Shunsuke explained his goal. This was only the one of many achievements he wanted. But for now, becoming strong like his twin brother was something he desired most.

"My name is Takeshi Inuzuka and this is my dog Arata. I'm twelve years old. I don't have much of a social life besides hanging with Arata and my hobby is taking walks with him.

"Okay! Do you have any goals Takeshi?" Mamuro asked him.

"I wouldn't necessarily say goals, but more like desires. My desires include: to prove those arrogant pricks from my mother's side that a half-breed like me can achieve something great. Even though I lack sociable abilities, I'm still fitted to become a ninja!" Takeshi explained while eyeing his face to the ground.

While listening to the words of his students, Mamuro could feel a new power rising inside him. It was perhaps the power to embrace something new, like become a student to new aspiring ninjas. After all he was once a young genin himself. Mamuro began wondering how his colleagues were doing with their new students.

With Team 9, Kazue had taken great interest in Ochinko's paintings. She had also expressed her gentle personality that even surprised the usually brash Manami. In her opinion, Kazue was the complete opposite of what he was. Saburou also appreciated his new sensei, although he was curious about her own abilities. Ochinko was already beginning to like Kazue, even though they met just a few minutes ago.

Team 10 had been surprised by their sensei's cheerful persona, despite his somewhat serious appearance. Cheika was already beginning to like him, as Ayumu had openly refrained from calling her fat. He was only calling her a big girl, which made the young girl blush in embarrassment. Shikio was also taking a liking to Ayumu, especially when it came to their somewhat similar personalities. However, Itachi had still problems getting used to new people, but he managed to at least communicate with his new sensei. In turn, Ayumu took a great interest in the half-Uchiha/half-Yamanaka.

This was the beginning of the next generation's journey into the great shinobi world. The three jounins themselves also knew they had to be prepared for any difficulties lying ahead of them. And they would face them, no matter what.

* * *

**Author's note: That was chapter 8! Hope you enjoyed meeting their jounins. These are all non-canon so don't freak out or something.**


End file.
